Self-Assembly of Adjustable Micropatterned Graphene Oxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide on Porous Polymeric Surfaces

The breath figure (BF) method is a simple technique for fabricating micropatterned surfaces but has been rarely studied using graphene oxide (GO) or reduced GO (rGO). Additionally, fabrication of GO or rGO micropatterned (MPGO or MPrGO) by the BF method focuses on smooth and dense inorganic substrates, and the investigation of adjusting the MPGO morphology has been limited. This research systematically studies self-assembly of MPGO and MPrGO on the surface of two model porous polymers by the BF method and explores its potential applications for surface modification. It is found that the size range of the MPGO is 1–50 µm and that the structures can be adjusted by changing the process parameters. Specifically, under specific conditions, a uniform honeycomb MPGO is obtained. Surface characteristics demonstrate that the unique MPGO morphology alters the surface water contact-angle from ≈65° to ≈100° and that MPrGO decreases the surface resistivity to 1–5 kΩ cm⁻². Additionally, MPGO coating on a microfiltration membrane gives it a much greater permeability than GO coating without micropatterned morphology and antibiofilm properties. Overall, this study shows that MPGO and MPrGO with adjustable morphologies are easily obtained on polymeric surfaces, thus altering the surface properties and giving the polymers various potential applications.