Corrosion resistance of graphene directly and locally grown on bulk nickel substrate by laser irradiation

We report the anticorrosion capability of graphene directly and locally grown on a bulk nickel substrate by a high power laser beam irradiation at room temperature. The anticorrosive performance of the locally laser-grown graphene on Ni, together with Ni covered graphene transferred from the CVD method and bare Ni, was investigated by electrochemical measurements and immersion tests. The corrosion rate of laser-grown graphene evaluated from potentiodynamic polarizations was 4.5 times lower than that of bare Ni, and the corrosion potential was increased by 126 mV. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements complemented the potentiodynamic results and indicated significant improvement in corrosion resistance in the presence of in situ grown graphene. The in situ grown graphene could protect the underlying substrate effectively, mainly due to its strong interaction with the substrate, and excellent barrier properties. This laser fabrication of graphene directly and locally on a bulk substrate provides a promising and workable method to protect metals from corrosion.