Surface free energy of graphene-based coatings and its component elements

There has been an increase in research into the surface free energy of low-dimensional materials in recent years. Graphene-based composites are increasingly popular in industry as coating materials. The surface free energy of graphene is crucial for interfacial adherence to supporting substrates. In this article, the surface free energy of coatings made of graphite base, graphene, and graphene oxide is evaluated critically based on the provided contact angle data using a variety of techniques, such as the Zisman, Neumann, Fowkes, Owens-Wendt-Fowkes, and van Oss, Chaudhury, Good method. It was found that the average surface energies of graphene, graphene oxide, and graphite were respectively 44.8 ± 14.7, 47.9 ± 7.2, and 53.6 ± 2.1 mJ.m⁻². The dispersive components of graphene, graphene oxide, and graphite are 38.4 ± 9.5, 38.3 ± 4.0, and 50.6 ± 3.6 mJ.m⁻², respectively, while the polar components are 4.8 ± 4.9, 9.9 ± 4.2, and 2.8 ± 1.5 mJ.m⁻². The current analysis can be used to develop graphene-based composites for the coatings sector.