Graphene epoxy spray on 3D-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene substrates as O2 gas barrier

Modified graphene oxide was introduced as a gas barrier by using polymer epoxy on 3D-printing acrylonitrile butadiene styrene substrates (ABS) substrates. The applied graphene materials were characterized by infrared, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our gas transmission experiments exhibited excellent barrier properties for O₂ for the graphene epoxy-coated 3D-printing substrates. Graphene oxide-incorporated 3D-printed materials were tested for the permeability properties of the ambient gases. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of both the single and the double sheets of graphene nanopores suggest that only the marginal percentages of O₂ are predicted to transmit at the graphene layers under ambient conditions. Considering that 3D-printed materials such as ABS are widely used in many areas, a simple method of preparing gas barriers using graphene materials should be useful in technological applications to block ambient gases, as well as to provide a better understanding of the physicochemical characteristics of graphene nanopores.