Anodic Aqueous Electrophoretic Deposition of Graphene Oxide on Copper Using Different Cathode Materials

Abstract

The effect of four different cathode materials on the anodic deposition of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets was studied experimentally. First, synthesis of graphite oxide from graphite powder was done by modified Hummers' method. Ultrasonic technique was adopted for the preparation of the stable aqueous suspension of GO by using liquid exfoliation of graphite oxide. Deposition of GO coating on copper sheets (the anode) was done via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) at the same operating condition (5V, 2 min, concentration of 0.5 mg/ml of GO per deionized water) with different cathode materials (copper, stainless steel, aluminum and graphite). The coatings’ morphological and microstructure were investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the effect of the current density in the EPD process was obtained. The change in the deposition weight was also measured. It was ascertained that the cathode’s material is a major factor can affect the GO’s EPD process and the characteristics of the final coating.