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Dispersion of graphene in solvents is of crucial importance toward its practical applications. In this study, using a water-soluble carboxylated aniline trimer derivative (CAT(-)) as a stabilizer, the commercial graphene can be stably dispersed in water at high concentration (>1 mg/mL) via strong π-π interaction that was proved by Raman and UV-vis spectra. Moreover, the CAT(-)-functionalized graphene sheets (G-CAT(-) hybrid) exhibited high conductivity (∼1.5 S/cm), good electroactivity and improved electrochemical stability. The addition of well-dispersed graphene into waterborne epoxy system (G-CAT(-)/epoxy) remarkably improved corrosion protection compared with pure waterborne epoxy coating, based on a series of electrochemical measurements performed under 3.5% NaCl solution. This significantly enhanced anticorrosion performance is mainly due to the improved water barrier properties derived from highly dispersed graphene nanosheets in the epoxy coating.

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