Controllable preparations and anti-corrosion properties of reduced graphene oxide films by binder-free electrophoretic deposition

Abstract

This work assesses anti-corrosion properties of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) film deposited on copper by a binder-free electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method. Morphology of the samples is characterized by optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman and FT-IR analyzes confirm the reduction of GO with L(+)-Ascorbic acid (LAA). The results of water contact angle (WCA) measurements demonstrate that the hydrophilic copper surface is changed to hydrophobic after graphene oxide (GO) is reduced by LAA. Electrochemical tests indicate that rGO film have greater corrosion resistance than GO film, but different reduction ratio influences the corrosion resistance of rGO film. A plausible explanation for this finding is that the increase in the reduction ratio leads to an increase in the rGO interaction forces, resulting in cracks in the rGO film, which leads to a decrease in its anticorrosion efficiency. This approach provides a viable and scalable route for the use of rGO to protect metal surfaces from corrosion.