UV-curable Graphene-containing Systems: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

Graphene is the current and most challenging nanofiller because of its peculiar features (namely, large specific surface area, high elasticity modulus, thermal and electrical conductivity, high charge carrier mobility, biocompatibility among a few to mention), which make it suitable for applications ranging from quantum physics, nanoelectronics, catalysis and energy, up to the design of biomaterials and nanocomposites. Specifically referring to the production of polymerbased nanocomposites, graphene has been widely embedded not only in thermoplastic, but also in thermosetting host matrices (such as epoxy and acrylic systems): this way, it was possible to maximize the peculiarities of the nanofiller, providing the curable resins with extraordinary enhancements. Among the different curing techniques for transforming a liquid system into a solid 3D-network, the photo-induced polymerization technique (known as “UV-curing”) has received considerable attention from both the academic and industrial world. All these advantages have justified the fast development of the UV-curing technique for a broad variety of application fields, comprising printing inks, varnishes and protective coatings on different substrates. In addition, the photo-induced polymerization reactions have been validated and profitably exploited for high-tech and electronic applications, even at an industrial scale. For all these reasons, quite recently, graphene and its derivatives have been successfully studied in combination with the UV-curing process, hence allowing the design of high added value nanostructured networks. This paper aims at reviewing the current design and use of graphene-containing UV-curable nanocomposite systems, highlighting the current achievements and providing the reader with an idea about possible future developments.