Drying and Film Formation Processes of Graphene Oxide Suspension on Nonwoven Fibrous Membranes with Varying Wettability
Graphene oxide (GO) films have attracted significant attention due to their potential in separation and filtration applications. Based on their unique lamellar structure and ultrathin nature, GO films are difficult to maintain in a free-standing form and typically require substrate support. Conseque...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Zeman Liu Jiaxing Fan Jian Xue Fei Guo |
| author_facet | Zeman Liu Jiaxing Fan Jian Xue Fei Guo |
| author_sort | Zeman Liu |
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| description | Graphene oxide (GO) films have attracted significant attention due to their potential in separation and filtration applications. Based on their unique lamellar structure and ultrathin nature, GO films are difficult to maintain in a free-standing form and typically require substrate support. Consequently, understanding their film formation behavior and mechanisms on substrates is of paramount importance. This work employs commonly used nonwoven fibrous membranes as substrates and guided by the coffee-ring theory, systematically investigates the film formation behaviors, film morphology, and underlying mechanisms of GO films on fibrous membranes with varying wettability. Fibrous membranes with different wetting properties—hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and superhydrophobic—were prepared via electrospinning and initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) surface modification techniques. The spreading behaviors, deposition dynamics, capillary effects, and evaporation-induced film formation mechanisms of GO suspensions on these substrates were thoroughly examined. The results showed that GO formed belt-like, ring-like, and circular patterns on the three fibrous membranes, respectively. GO films encapsulated more than the upper half, approximately the upper half, and the top portion of fibers, respectively. Pronounced wrinkling of GO films was observed except for those on the hydrophilic fibrous membrane. This work demonstrates that tuning the wettability of fibrous substrates enables precise control over GO film morphology, including fiber encapsulation, wrinkling, and coverage area. Furthermore, it deepens the understanding of the interactions between 1D nanofibers and 2D GO sheets at low-dimensional scales, laying a foundational basis for the optimized design of membrane engineering. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c5c44d0ab73744d6a72e8b57f8b8bb43 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2571-9637 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-c5c44d0ab73744d6a72e8b57f8b8bb432025-06-25T14:27:32ZengMDPI AGSurfaces2571-96372025-06-01823910.3390/surfaces8020039Drying and Film Formation Processes of Graphene Oxide Suspension on Nonwoven Fibrous Membranes with Varying WettabilityZeman Liu0Jiaxing Fan1Jian Xue2Fei Guo3School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, ChinaGraphene oxide (GO) films have attracted significant attention due to their potential in separation and filtration applications. Based on their unique lamellar structure and ultrathin nature, GO films are difficult to maintain in a free-standing form and typically require substrate support. Consequently, understanding their film formation behavior and mechanisms on substrates is of paramount importance. This work employs commonly used nonwoven fibrous membranes as substrates and guided by the coffee-ring theory, systematically investigates the film formation behaviors, film morphology, and underlying mechanisms of GO films on fibrous membranes with varying wettability. Fibrous membranes with different wetting properties—hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and superhydrophobic—were prepared via electrospinning and initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) surface modification techniques. The spreading behaviors, deposition dynamics, capillary effects, and evaporation-induced film formation mechanisms of GO suspensions on these substrates were thoroughly examined. The results showed that GO formed belt-like, ring-like, and circular patterns on the three fibrous membranes, respectively. GO films encapsulated more than the upper half, approximately the upper half, and the top portion of fibers, respectively. Pronounced wrinkling of GO films was observed except for those on the hydrophilic fibrous membrane. This work demonstrates that tuning the wettability of fibrous substrates enables precise control over GO film morphology, including fiber encapsulation, wrinkling, and coverage area. Furthermore, it deepens the understanding of the interactions between 1D nanofibers and 2D GO sheets at low-dimensional scales, laying a foundational basis for the optimized design of membrane engineering.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9637/8/2/39graphene oxide filmfibrous membranefilm formationwrinklessurface wettability |
| spellingShingle | Zeman Liu Jiaxing Fan Jian Xue Fei Guo Drying and Film Formation Processes of Graphene Oxide Suspension on Nonwoven Fibrous Membranes with Varying Wettability Surfaces graphene oxide film fibrous membrane film formation wrinkles surface wettability |
| title | Drying and Film Formation Processes of Graphene Oxide Suspension on Nonwoven Fibrous Membranes with Varying Wettability |
| title_full | Drying and Film Formation Processes of Graphene Oxide Suspension on Nonwoven Fibrous Membranes with Varying Wettability |
| title_fullStr | Drying and Film Formation Processes of Graphene Oxide Suspension on Nonwoven Fibrous Membranes with Varying Wettability |
| title_full_unstemmed | Drying and Film Formation Processes of Graphene Oxide Suspension on Nonwoven Fibrous Membranes with Varying Wettability |
| title_short | Drying and Film Formation Processes of Graphene Oxide Suspension on Nonwoven Fibrous Membranes with Varying Wettability |
| title_sort | drying and film formation processes of graphene oxide suspension on nonwoven fibrous membranes with varying wettability |
| topic | graphene oxide film fibrous membrane film formation wrinkles surface wettability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9637/8/2/39 |
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