Graphene-Reinforced Polymer Composites

The recent discovery of dimensional graphitic carbon materials like zero-dimensional graphene quantum dots, one-dimensional carbon nanotube and two-dimensional graphene has gained a lot of interest in the area of advanced materials for developing next-generation electronics, energy storage devices and reinforced polymer composites. The unique nanostructures of the low-dimensional layered graphitic materials provide the nano-confinement in the reinforced composites by tailoring the fibre/matrix interfacial adhesion. The proper attachment on the surface of the backbone fibre with polymer improves the interlocking mechanism of the fibres with the matrix as well as retardation of the cracking and fractures and thus enhances the mechanical properties and toughness. In this chapter, we provide an overview of graphene and grapheme-related materials in reinforced polymer composites.