Different graphene layers to enhance or prevent corrosion of polycrystalline copper

Abstract

Graphene was used as an anticorrosive coating for metals as it can effectively isolate the corrosion factors such as oxygen. However, we found that the anticorrosive and corrosive effects on metal surface were related to graphene layers and metal crystal faces. In this paper, we found that different layers of graphene had significantly different effects on the corrosion of polycrystalline copper during long-term storage under atmospheric conditions. Optical images and Raman spectra showed that single layer graphene (SLG)-coated copper had a higher degree of corrosion than bare copper. However, when covered with CVD in situ-grown bilayer graphene (BLG), the copper foil was effectively prevented from being etched as it exhibited a bright yellow color despite the differences in crystal faces. The surface potential differences measured by an electric force microscope (EFM) showed that a contact potential difference (V_CPD) between 30 and 40 mV existed between Cu/SLG and bare copper. The SLG-coated areas had a higher surface potential (SP), which meant that the (SLG)-coated copper was more prone to lose electrons to exhibit galvanic corrosion. The BLG coating made SP of underlying copper lower making it harder to lose electrons; thus, BLG successfully protected the copper from being corroded. These findings have a foreseeable significance for graphene as a metal anti-corrosion coating.