Graphene Car

Detailing Spray
 What is this product?
This product is markets as a “Nano Ceramic Graphene Spray Coating.” It claims to:
- Contain nanomaterials, specifically graphene
- Offer superior strength and scratch resistance as a result of the use of graphene

We will evaluate these claims to determine whether the products’ claims and naming scheme are appropriate.
 What is the purpose of a car ceramic spray?
The 3 main objectives of ceramic detailing sprays are to provide protection, hydrophobic properties and
enhanced shine and gloss to the paint coat of cars

Protection Hydrophobic Properties Shine

• The coatings physically shield • The coatings create a • The coatings provide aesthetic
against contaminants such as hydrophobic surface that value to the car’s paint by
bird droppings, tree sap, causes water droplets to more creating a more glossy surface
insect splatter, and acidic rain. easily run off
• The reflectivity and contrast
• Additives can help to • A smoother hydrophobic of the paint coat are enhanced
attenuate high energy UV surface helps prevent water
light which can prematurely spots and makes it harder for
age the pigments in the paint dirt and contaminants to stick
coat to the coat
 What are car ceramic sprays composed of?
The main ingredients of ceramic coating sprays are carrier solvents, resins and polymers, surfactants, and
Silicon Dioxide or Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

Solvents & Surfactants Resins & Polymers Nanoparticles

• Solvents allow for solids • Help to bind the additives to • Nanoparticle additives such as
(waxes, resins, polymers) to the surface and constitute the Silicon Dioxide, Titanium
be dissolved and applied in majority of the coating
liquid form. When the solvent • Dioxide and Graphite Oxide
evaporates, the solids are left • Create a hydrophobic effect enhance the bond strength,
behind in a uniform layer that repels water and hydrophobic and optical
contaminants properties of the coating
• Surfactants aid in even
application and improve the
wetting properties of the
coating
 What is Graphene?
Graphene is a carbon allotrope consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a honeycomb planar
Nanostructure1. Graphene is known for its exceptionally high tensile strength, electrical conductivity,
transparency, and being the thinnest two-dimensional material in the world2. The existence of graphene was
first theorized in 1947 by Philip R. Wallace during his research on graphite's electronic properties3. In 2004,
the material was isolated and characterized by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at the University of
Manchester using a piece of graphite and adhesive tape4.

1.) (26 February 2007). "The rise of graphene". Nature Materials.

2.) Pike, Jared (2023). "Is graphene the best heat conductor ever? Purdue researchers investigate with four-phonon
scattering". Purdue University Mechanical Engineering News
3.) "Graphene: A Complete Chemical History". ACS Material. 20 September 2019
4.) "Discovery of graphene - Graphene - The University of Manchester"
 Does this product contain graphene?
This product does NOT contain regular graphene, which is made purely of 1-layer thick carbon sheets. It does
contain graphite oxide, which also contains oxygen and hydrogen groups in non-stoichiometric ratios. While it
is possible for graphite oxide to qualify as a graphene oxide product, it does not guarantee that it is one.
 What is Graphite (Graphene) Oxide?
Graphite oxide, formerly called graphitic oxide or graphitic acid, is a compound of carbon, oxygen, and
hydrogen in variable ratios, obtained by treating graphite with strong oxidizers and acids for resolving of extra
metals1. The bulk material spontaneously disperses in basic solutions or can be dispersed by sonication in polar
solvents to yield monomolecular sheets, known as graphene oxide by analogy to graphene, the single-layer
form of graphite2 . Graphene oxide layers are about 1.1 ± 0.2 nm thick3.

1.) Hummers, W. S.; Offeman, R. E. (1958). "Preparation of Graphitic Oxide". Journal of the American Chemical Society.
2.) Dreyer, D. R.; Park, S.; Bielawski, C. W.; Ruoff, R. S. (2010). "The chemistry of graphene oxide". Chemical Society Reviews.
3.) Schniepp, H. C.; Li, J. L.; McAllister, M. J.; Sai, H.; Herrera-Alonso, M.; Adamson, D. H.; Prud'Homme, R. K.; Car, R.;
Saville, D. A.; Aksay, I. A. (2006). "Functionalized Single Graphene Sheets Derived from Splitting Graphite Oxide". The Journal
of Physical Chemistry B
Why would Graphene Oxide belong in ceramic spray?
Graphene oxide exhibits hydrophobic properties due to its unique molecular structure, which combines both
hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. While graphene oxide is generally considered hydrophilic due to its
oxygen-containing functional groups, when it is reduced or combined with certain surface treatments, it can
develop hydrophobic characteristics

Hydrophilic Oxygen Groups Hydrophobic Basal Plane Reduced Graphene Oxide

• The oxygen functional groups • The underlying carbon lattice, • When Graphene Oxide is
in Graphene Oxide make it similar to pure graphene, is partially or fully reduced the
dispersible in water and allow hydrophobic, creating regions material becomes more
it to interact with hydrophilic that repel water hydrophobic due to the
substances restoration of the graphene-
like structure
 Are the product’s claims legitimate?
While the product does not contain graphene in the regular sense, it is able to use the label due to its use of
“graphite oxide,” which it claims contains graphene nanomaterials. While graphite oxide is a material which
can be structured as graphene, it must be specific qualifications to be considered graphene.

Is the product’s claim accurate, and can this be considered a graphene product?
 What is the difference between graphite and graphene?
As discussed previously, graphene is single layer of carbon atoms covalently bonded together. Graphite is a
stack of carbon sheets held together by weak van der waals forces; thus all graphite contains graphene.
Graphene materials are distinguished from graphite materials by being composed of 10 layers of carbon or
fewer; this distinction is not arbitrary but based on thermodynamic properties1.

1.) Siaw Fui Kiew, Lik Voon Kiew, Hong Boon Lee, Toyoko Imae, Lip Yong Chung, (2016). “Assessing biocompatibility of
graphene oxide-based nanocarriers”. Journal of Controlled Release.
 Are graphite oxide spray coatings graphene?
According to a 2022 research paper1, it is possible to produce ~10nm thick layers of graphite oxide using a
nebulizer spray coating method. However, unlike the product which uses an aerosol can to spray the coating
onto a variety of surfaces, the study used a specific aerosolization method to coat a silicon surface in a
controlled environment. The size of flakes produced by the spray can method has not been thoroughly studied,
but numerous products claiming to contain graphene have been demonstrated not to in the past2, with most
products containing less than 10% graphene and none containing more than 50%.

1.) B.C. Tladi, H.C. Swart, Rudolph M. Erasmus, R.E. Kroon, (2022). “Graphene oxide and its films produced using a nebulizer
spray coating method”. Materials Research Bulletin.
2.) Peter B⌀gglid, (2018). “The war on fake graphene”. Nature.
 Verdict on the product
While the product certainly contains graphite oxide that improves its performance, possibly in nanoscopic
flakes, it is highly unlikely that it contains actual graphene. Therefore, while it may be considered a nano
product and achieves its desired aims, the use of the term graphene in the title is misleading and comparable to
calling a pencil a graphene product.