Frictional Resistance and Surface Roughness of Reduced Graphene Oxide Coated Stainless-Steel Archwires: An In Vitro Study.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) coating on the frictional resistance and surface characteristics of stainless-steel (SS) orthodontic archwires compared with uncoated SS wires (SSWs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This in vitro study is designed to evaluate the frictional resistance and surface characterization of a coating. Twenty 0.019 × 0.025-inch SS archwires were divided into two groups (n = 10). Experimental wires were coated with rGO using an electrochemical deposition method. Frictional resistance was evaluated using a universal testing machine, while coating morphology and surface characteristics were assessed using Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), optical microscopy, and EDX analysis. RESULTS: Analysis via FESEM confirmed the thickness and uniformity of the coating. Archwires coated with rGO showed reduced frictional resistance against the uncoated archwires. The reduction was statistically significant under normal load and stress situations. CONCLUSION: In this study, the use of rGO coating markedly decreased the frictional resistance of SS orthodontic archwires in comparison to uncoated wires. The surface characterization confirmed the structural integrity of the rGO covering, thereby facilitating better interlayer sliding and improving tribological performance.