Polyester (PES) fabrics were coated with graphene oxide (GO)
and later it was reduced through a chemical method to obtain
reduced graphene oxide (RGO). Samples with a different number
of coatings were obtained and analyzed. Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy showed the diminution of the bands attributed to
oxidized groups after reducing GO to RGO. Scanning electron
microscopy allowed the observation of sheets of RGO deposited on
PES fibers, although in general it was very difficult to observe the
coatings formed. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS),
cyclic voltammetry (CV) and scanning electrochemical microscopy
(SECM) showed the effective reduction of GO to RGO. With EIS
a decrease of the electrical resistance of about 7 orders of magnitude
was observed when the fabric of PES-GO was reduced to
PES-1G. EIS measurements have also shown a progressive reduction
in electrical resistance and surface resistivity with the number
of coatings. With three coatings the minimum electrical resistance
(23.15 cm2) and surface resistivity (1.1 × 104 /) were reached.
More coatings did not produce a significant improvement in the
electrical properties. The surface resistivity obtained with only one
RGO coating (1.6 × 107 /) would be adequate for antistatic purposes
where values below 5 × 109 / are needed.As in EIS, CValso
showed an increase in the electro-activity with the number of RGO
layers. With only one RGO coating, the contact between the different
RGO sheets is not satisfactory and more layers are needed to
improve this contact and obtain a material with good electrical and
electrochemical properties. Scan rate is also a key parameter in the
characterization of these materials and only low scan rates allow
the best observation of redox processes. Approach curves and maps
of electro-activity obtained by SECM showed the clear difference
between levels of electro-activity of PES-GO and PES-RGO samples.
The electrochemical techniques used for the characterization
indicate the need to apply several RGO coatings during the synthesis
to obtain materials with the best electrical and electrochemical
properties.
Ackno