Strain-dependent wetting of graphene
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: accuracy to provide an atomistic first-principles prediction for this unsolved problem, finding a weakly hydrophilic contact angle of 72.1 ± 1.5°. More importantly, we unveil that graphene's wetting properties are highly sensitive to mechanical strain: tensile strain makes graphene significantly less hydrophilic, while compressive strain induces coherent ripples around the droplet, resulting in pronounced anisotropic wetting and contact angle hysteresis. We show that there is a strong coupling between the three-phase contact line and the intrinsic thermal ripples of free-standing graphene, which contributes to this strain sensitivity. Our results demonstrate that the wettability of 2D membranes is governed not only by their chemistry but also by their dynamic morphology, introducing a new class of wetting behaviour unique to atomically thin materials that offers an additional explanation for variability in experimental measurements. These findings reveal that mechanical strain may be a practical route to controlling wetting in 2D nanomaterials-based technologies, with promising consequences for nanofluidic and nano-filtration applications.
Source: Chemical Science
DOI: 10.1039/d6sc05377g
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7126059335