Tribological and corrosion performance of epoxy resin composite coatings reinforced with graphene oxide and fly ash cenospheres

In this work, a novel graphene oxide (GO)-fly ash cenospheres (FACs) hybrid fillers was introduced to improve the wear and corrosive resistance of epoxy resin (ER) composite coatings. The tribological behavior and the corrosion performance of three kinds of coatings (pure ER, GO/ER and GO-FACs/ER coatings) were studied and the reinforced mechanisms of coatings filled by different fillers were analyzed. The friction coefficient and wear rate of the ER coatings were decreased with the addition of GO-FACs hybrids. The scanning electron microscope images showed that the dispersibility and compatibility of GO-FACs hybrids were effectively improved compared with that of GO sheet. The water contact angle examination indicated that the hydrophobicity of the GO-FACs/ER coatings increased. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results demonstrated that the GO-FACs/ER coatings have better anticorrosion performance compared with the pure ER coatings and the GO/ER coatings. The hydrophobic surface and the well dispersed fillers constitute the dual barrier to resist the corrosion medium.