Reduced graphene oxide as a protection layer for Al

This study proposes a facile solution process to generate a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) protection layer on Al, in which polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is used to enhance interfacial bonding between Al and rGO. A multi-level analysis indicated that PVA-aided coating induced numerous conjugations between Al and rGO by producing a large number of hydroxyl groups on the Al surface. The Al plate directly coated by rGO showed good corrosion resistance compared with the pristine Al, implying that rGO may act as an effective corrosion barrier for Al. Moreover, the Al coated by the PVA-aided process exhibited higher corrosion resistance than the directly coated Al as well as the pristine Al due to the enhanced adhesion between Al and rGO. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.