Spontaneous Adsorption of Graphene Oxide on Multiple Polymeric Surfaces

Abstract

The controllable integration of low-dimensional nanomaterials on solid surfaces is pivotal for the fabrication of next-generation miniaturized electronic and optoelectronic devices. For instance, organization of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials on polymeric surfaces paves the way for the development of flexible electronics for applications in wearable devices. Nevertheless, the understanding of the molecular interactions between these nanomaterials and the polymeric surfaces remains limited, which impedes the rational design of 2D nanomaterial-based functional coatings. In the current work, we report that graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets, in their dispersion phase, can be adsorbed on multiple polymeric surfaces in a spontaneous manner. Both experimental findings and simulational results indicate that the main driving force is hydrogen bonding interactions, although other molecular interactions such as polarity and dispersion ones contribute to the adsorption as well. The relatively high hydrogen bonding interactions cause not only increased GO surface coverage but also enhanced GO adsorption kinetics on polymeric surfaces. The adsorbed GO layers are robust, which can be explained by the large aspect ratios of GO nanosheets and the presence of multiple spots for molecular interactions. As a proof of concept, GO-covered polymethyl methacrylate effectively decreases surface static charges when compared with its pristine counterpart. The integration of the GO constituents turns many inert polymeric substrates into multifunctional hybrids, and the functional groups on GO can be used further to bridge with additional functional materials for the development of high-performance electronic devices.