Breakdown in the Wetting Transparency of Graphene

Abstract

We develop a theory to model the van der Waals interactions between liquid and graphene, including quantifying the wetting behavior of a graphene-coated surface. Molecular dynamics simulations and contact angle measurements were also carried out to test the theory. We show that graphene is only partially transparent to wetting and that the predicted highest attainable contact angle of water on a graphene-coated surface is 96°. Our findings reveal a more complex picture of wetting on graphene than what has been reported recently as complete “wetting transparency.”