Water enabled self-healing polymeric coating with reduced graphene oxide-reinforcement for sensors

• Intrinsic self-healing mechanism after contact with water. Multiple healings at the same damaged area. Controlled electrical characteristics. Mechanically resistant and hydrophobic coating. materials have received significant attention due to characteristic recovery damage properties through reversible dynamic covalent non-covalent interactions. Furthermore, functional reliable mechanical are highly keen as protective coatings, specifically for devices sensors vulnerable abrasion in severe environments. Here, we present a hierarchical nanostructure capable of multiple micro-sized healings, enhanced hardness incorporation graphene oxide (rGO) nanoplatelets. A multilayered nanocomposite formed by poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) was easily assembled layer-by-layer (LbL) technique. The addition rGO nanoplatelets LbL resulted 13-fold increase (0.4 ± 0.1 GPa) when compared (PEI/PAA) architecture (0.03 0.01 GPa). In addition, presents an insulating behavior (∼ 4.10 −8 S/cm) despite Raman Zeta Potential analysis indicated possible wrapping rGOs PEI, justifying observed good hydrophobicity water angle 136°, interesting extend lifetime protect underlying layers from humidity, degradation, encrustation. Therefore, propose attractive hydrophobic, electrically insulating, mechanically multifunctional coating high-performance electronic interfaces minor cuts abrasions, dispensing maintainer intervention.