Study of PET substrate wetting by multicomponent graphene oxide suspensions

In this paper, we study the wetting properties of polymer PET substrates with multicomponent graphene oxide suspensions. Insufficient wettability is one of the significant obstacles to the development of flexible and organic electronics devices based on carbon nanomaterials and, in particular, graphene oxide, especially considering that commercially available graphene oxide is often provided in the form of aqueous suspensions. In this paper, we consider the possibility of improving the wetting of PET substrates by adding additional organic components to commercially available graphene oxide suspensions. N-methylpyrrolidone, dimethylacetamide, and two types of enamel paint thinners were used as additional components. In all cases, a successful decrease in the wetting angle was demonstrated. In addition, the drying time of droplets of multicomponent suspensions was analyzed. Depending on the ratio of components and the type of dispersion medium, the drying time may differ from 3 to 40 times, which significantly affects the applicability of suspensions in the processes of aerosol application and centrifugation. The stability of suspensions with n-methylpyrrolidone, dimethylacetamide for more than 2 months, and about 1.5 months in the case of using a thinner for enamel paints, has also been demonstrated.