Polymer/(nickel nanowire)/graphene oxide advanced amphiphilic nanocomposite coatings

Abstract In this study, we report the first example of producing colloidally stable aqueous dispersion of Ni nanowires (Ni NWs) using graphene oxide (GO) as a surfactant. We subsequently used the produced Ni NWs/GO aqueous dispersion to prepare polymer nanocomposite dispersions where the polymer was synthesised using soap-free emulsion polymerisation. The produced polymer/Ni NWs/GO dispersion was designed to form a coating at ambient temperature when spray coated on a substrate. The obtained coatings can be thermally annealed to render them electrically conducting. This study showcased that emulsion-based approaches can be employed to prepare multi-filler nanocomposite coatings. Graphical abstract