The two most significant techniques for producing carbonaceous materials with exceptional conductivity for use in electrochemical devices are chemical vapor deposition and mechanical cleavage of graphite. The main advantage of using the CVD technique is represented by the ability to obtain materials that can be used on larger surfaces, with a uniformity superior to cleavage techniques. However, films of carbonaceous materials are hydrophobic, which makes it difficult to integrate nanoparticles. By adding nanoparticles (e.g., metallic, oxide), the electrochemical characteristics of carbonaceous materials can be improved, as a result of the increase in the specific surface of the electrode, catalytic effect, and enhanced electron transfer. In this paper, we present the methodology for modifying the wetting capacity of a graphene film grown on a copper substrate, which we transferred through a chemical process to the SiO2/Si substrate. To modify the wetting capacity of these materials, both plasma treatment using reactive ion etching equipment and a chemical treatment in acid medium were carried out. For fundamental investigations of the graphene–liquid interface, it is necessary to ensure that the graphene surface is free of any kind of residue. This is important not only to ensure the persistence of favorable properties, but also to ensure an ideal sp2 carbon surface to allow suitable chemical interactions with NPs, precursors, and analytical molecules. The research has focused on the use of spectroscopy, SEM, and goniometry as techniques for structural, morphological, wetting capacity, and percolation analyses of carbonaceous materials. Their applicability in the electrochemical field was studied by cyclic voltammetry after the incorporation of nanoparticles.
Acknowledgements: This work was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, CNCS-UEFISCDI, project number PN-IV-P2-2.1-TE-2023-0417, within PNCDI IV, and by the Core Program within the National Research Development and Innovation Plan 2022-2027, project no. 2307.
