Paper: Enhancing polyimide's water barrier properties through addition of functionalized graphene oxide

Putting atomically thin graphene nano-sheets into plastics can make paints and coatings much better. In a study carried out in a collaboration with Prof. David Kranbuehl (William & Mary chemistry) we found that concentrations of as little as 0.01%–0.1% of this additive can make coatings 5–10 times better at stopping water vapor. Stopping water is very important to protect materials from corroding, and therefore this approach is expected to have a significant impact in improving paint systems. Other potential applications are in food packaging and hydrogen storage.

The paper has been published in the journal Polymer (2015 impact factor 3.6).

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