Fabricating Graphite Coated Copper Via Airbrushing

Airbrushing is a simple, cost-effective, and easy-to-use method for applying thin layer coatings. In this study, the fabrication of a graphite layer using airbrush spraying has been investigated, which requires stable graphite suspensions without any noticeable sedimentation before and while spraying. Aqueous suspensions with different ratios of Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to graphite were prepared. PVP was used as a surfactant that can disperse graphite particles in water, which also binds graphite particles to the substrate. For testing each suspension’s stability, the turbidity of all samples was measured. The test demonstrated a specific ratio of PVP to graphite that makes the suspension most stable, which is 0.3g. A lower or higher amount of PVP was seen to make the stability worse. The sample with 0.3 grams PVP had the lowest sedimentation rate and thus was chosen for spraying. This optimum composition was sprayed on the substrate using an airbrush, and a graphite coat was obtained in the next step. The main application for the graphite-coated thin layer is in Li-ion batteries as a graphite-based anode.