Subventions et des contributions :

Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019).

A major challenge in modern materials engineering is to make cost effective anticorrosive coatings. Reducedx000D
graphene oxide (rGO) is a great candidate in this arena as it can be used in water lubricated coatings, offeringx000D
an environmentally safe replacement to oil lubrications in oil tankers and pipelines. Significant efforts focusedx000D
on developing methods to produce rGO thin-films through thermal, chemical or electrical treatments. However,x000D
the most common protocols for reducing graphene oxide (GO) to rGO rely on using toxic solvents, causingx000D
serious safety and environmental concerns. The growth of rGO directly on stainless steel for implantx000D
applications has not been assessed. We recently developed a simple process for growing multilayer rGO filmsx000D
on stainless steel (SS316L) surfaces using solution-phase molecular precursors of coronene. Coronene isx000D
basically a small flake of graphene which can undergo dimerization by subsequent annealing. Our processx000D
consists of drop casting a solution of coronene on SS316L, followed by thermal annealing under air andx000D
subsequent cooling. Th rGO coating enhances the mechanical properties of SS316L for various applications.x000D
We also improved a number of factors such as good film uniformity and thickness control, minimization ofx000D
solution consumption, large area deposition capability, and cost effectiveness. Our approach elucidates thex000D
structure/function relationship in the rGO films, targeting corrosion-resistance properties that lead to durability,x000D
reliability, survivability and maintainability of rGO thin-films. The diverse applicability of our method makes itx000D
promising and warrants market assessment. Such anticorrosive coatings are expected to have a significantx000D
impact on the Canadian industry including manufacturing, automotive and submarine technologies.