Solution-processed highly adhesive graphene coatings for corrosion inhibition of metals

The corrosion of metals can be induced by different environmental and operational conditions, and protecting metals from corrosion is a serious concern in many applications. The development of new materials and/or technologies to improve the efficiency of anti-corrosion coatings has attracted renewed interest. In this study, we develop a protective coating composed of a bilayer structure of reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/graphene oxide (GO) applied to Cu plates by spray-coating and subsequent annealing. The annealing of the GO/Cu plates at 120 °C produces a bilayer structure of RGO/GO by the partial reduction of the spray-coated GO layer. This induces superior corrosion resistance and adhesion strength compared to those of GO/Cu and RGO/Cu plates because of the hydrophobic nature of the RGO surface exposed to the surroundings and the formation of Cu–O bonds with the O-based functional groups of GO. This approach provides a viable and scalable route for using graphene coatings to protect metal surfaces from corrosion.