Effect of contact resistance on the electrical conductivity of polymer graphene nanocomposites to optimize the biosensors detecting breast cancer cells

Abstract

This study focuses on the contact regions among neighboring nanoparticles in polymer graphene nanocomposites by the extension of nanosheets. The resistance of graphene and the contact zones represent the total resistance of the prolonged nanosheets. Furthermore, the graphene size, interphase depth, and tunneling distance express the effective volume portion of graphene, while the onset of percolation affects the fraction of percolated nanosheets. Finally, a model is developed to investigate the conductivity of the samples using the graphene size, interphase depth, and tunneling size. In addition to the roles played by certain factors in conductivity, the experimental conductivity data for several samples confirm the conductivity predictions. Generally, the polymer sheet in tunnels determines the total resistance of the extended nanosheets because graphene ordinarily exhibits negligible resistance. In addition, a large tunnel positively accelerates the onset of percolation, but increases the tunneling resistance and attenuates the conductivity of the nanocomposite. Further, a thicker interphase and lower percolation threshold promote the conductivity of the system. The developed model can be applied to optimize the biosensors detecting the breast cancer cells.