Suppression of the coffee-ring effect by self-assembling graphene oxide and monolayer titania.

ABSTRACT

The in situ self-assembly of two types of typical two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials (i.e., graphene oxide (GO) and monolayer titania (TO)) is realized using a simple drop-casting method. Within the as-prepared hybrid films, the GO and TO nanosheets arrange alternately into a lamellar structure. Notably, the hybridization of GO and TO suppresses the formation of coffee-rings when drop-cast, which is attributed to the strong interactions between the GO and TO nanosheets. Finally, the mechanism for the in situ hybridization of these two types of nanosheets into heterogeneous lamellar films and the suppression of the coffee-ring effect are discussed. These results demonstrate the potential applications of drop-cast hybrid films for high-quality membrane deposition from liquid phases.