Preparation and characterization of the graphene-carbon nanotube/CoFe2O4/polyaniline composite with reticular branch structures

A novel graphene-carbon nanotube (graphene-CNT)/CoFe2O4/polyaniline composite with reticular branch structures had been fabricated by in situ chemical polymerization method. The textured structures of the as-prepared composites were characterized by the fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Xray diffraction (XRD). The morphology was analyzed by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electromagnetic properties were tested by vibrating sample magnetometer and four-probe conductivity tester. The results showed that the graphene-CNT/CoFe2O4/polyaniline composite had the unique reticular branch structures. When the mass ratio of the graphene-CNT/CoFe2O4 to aniline was 1:3, the magnetic saturation value of the composite achieved 39.6 emu g(-1), and the conductivity reached 1.957 S cm(-1). Based on the experimental results, a probable formation mechanism for the unique reticular branch structures was proposed. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.