Title : Enhancing corrosion resistance and adhesion properties of acrylic-epoxy composite coatings on steel substrates using graphene-based nanomaterials
Abstract:
Corrosion is often referred to as the degradation of a material upon its interaction with the surrounding environment. Furthermore, the industrial challenges associated with corrosion has resulted an immense impact on the global economy. Hence, significant efforts were devoted towards developing new corrosion prevention strategies to increase the lifespan of the material. Due to its superior chemical stability, mechanical, thermal and electrical properties along with high corrosion resistance etc., graphene and its nanomaterials have been broadly used to produce effective and efficient coatings. This investigation demonstrates the significance of graphene-based materials to enhance the barrier performance of the acrylic-epoxy based polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanocomposite coatings. Via the solution intercalation approach, the graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles in the increment of 0.5- 3wt.% were added to the blended resins. In order to investigate the surface wettability, adhesion strength, anti-corrosion performance and surface morphology of the coatings, the fabricated coatings were characterized using water contact angle (WCA), cross-hatch test (CHT), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) respectively. The WCA results revealed the enhancement of the surface hydrophobicity of the coatings. The CHT confirmed that all the coatings had exhibited excellent surface adhesion characteristics. The EIS studies and FESEM micrographs confirmed that all the coatings had exhibited a strong anticorrosion barrier over a period of 90 days of immersion. However, it was noteworthy to point out that the inclusion of smaller content of GO enhanced the corrosion protection performance of the coatings. Throughout the immersion time, the 0.5% GO coating sample exhibited the best corrosion resistance, exceeding 
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. In summary, due to the outstanding properties of graphene-based materials, the inclusion of GO nanofillers in the matrix resulted in the overall enhancement of the corrosion protection performance of the coatings.
