One-step electrodeposition to fabricate robust superhydrophobic silver/graphene coatings with excellent stability

作者：Chen, De-xin; He, Ye-qing; Wang, Qi-wei^*; Li, Wei; Kang, Zhi-xin^*

来源：TRANSACTIONS OF NONFERROUS METALS SOCIETY OF CHINA, 2022, 32(10): 3321-3333.

DOI：10.1016/S1003-6326(22)66023-0

• silver/graphene coating
• superhydrophobicity
• one-step electrodeposition
• stability

A facile method was proposed to prepare stretchable silver-based composite coatings with excellent conductivity and stability for flexible electronics. Silver coating was firstly deposited on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer rubber surface via two-component spraying technique, then the superhydrophobic surface was obtained by one-step electrodeposition of cerium compounds (CeM) and graphene nanosheets (GNS) to produce Ag/CeM/GNS composite coatings. The obtained Ag/CeM/GNS composite coatings maintained high conductivity after experiencing bending cycles and stretching cycles. Furthermore, the as-prepared Ag/CeM/GNS composite coatings showed excellent self-cleaning and anti-fouling properties, and the corrosion resistance has improved significantly compared to the original Ag coating. In addition, the Ag/CeM/GNS composite coatings could drive the circuit normally in the states of tensile, bending and twisting deformation, showing excellent mechanical stability and applicability. As a result, it is believed that the prepared Ag/CeM/GNS composite coatings with excellent conductivity and stability have promising applications for flexible electronics in harsh conditions.