Solution Blending Preparation of Polyurethane/Graphene Composite: Improving the Mechanical and Anti-Corrosive Properties of the Coating on Aluminum Surface

Graphene-based polyurethane composites (PU/G) are prepared by using a simple and scalable solution blending method to disperse graphene flakes into the polyurethane matrix. The PU/G composite with 1wt% of graphene flakes performs the significant improvement (~50%) of the impact strength and adhesion behavior with respect to that of pristine PU. The PU/G coating with 2 wt% of graphene achieves the highest long-term anti-corrosion performance with the stable impedance modulus of ~2.7x1010 Ω.cm2 after 150 immersed days and 2500 hours of salt spray exposure in 3 wt% NaCl solution.