Electropolymerized polyaniline coatings on aluminum alloy 3004 and their corrosion protection performance

Homogeneous and adherent polyaniline coatings were electrosynthesized on aluminum (Al) alloy 3004 (AA 3004) from an aqueous solution containing aniline and oxalic acid by using the galvanostatic polarization method. A higher applied current density in the polymerization stage proved to be the best condition to adopt for the synthesis of more compact and strongly adherent polyaniline coatings on Al. The corrosion performances of polyaniline coatings were investigated in 3.5% NaCl solution by the potentiodynamic polarization technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies reveal that the polyaniline acts as a protective layer on Al against corrosion in 3.5% NaCl solution. The current corrosion decreases significantly from 6.55 μA cm⁻² for uncoated Al to 0.158 μA cm⁻² for polyaniline-coated Al. The corrosion rate of the polyaniline-coated Al is found to be 5.17 × 10⁻⁴ mm year⁻¹, which is ∼40 times lower than that observed for bare Al. The potential corrosion increases from −1.015 V versus SCE for uncoated Al to ∼−0.9 V versus SCE for polyaniline-coated Al electrodes. The positive shift of ∼0.11 V in potential corrosion indicates the protection of the Al surface by the polyaniline coatings.The synthesized coatings were characterized by UV-visible absorption spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Optical absorption spectroscopy reveals the formation of the emeraldine form of polyaniline. The results of this study clearly ascertain that the polyaniline has outstanding potential to protect the AA 3004 alloy against corrosion in a chloride environment.     

High corrosion protection of a polyaniline/organophilic montmorillonite coating for magnesium alloys

Epoxy coatings containing polyaniline (PANI) and polyaniline/organophilic montmorillonite (PANI/OMMT) powders were prepared on the surface of AZ91D magnesium alloy. The corrosion performance of the coatings was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and open-circuit potential analysis in 3.5% NaCl. The results indicate that the PANI/OMMT coating retained its high corrosion protection for AZ91D magnesium alloy after 6000 h of immersion. The protective mechanism conferred by the PANI/OMMT coating was also discussed. The effects of oxygen on the protective mechanism of PANI were evaluated by EIS measurements in a 3.5% deaerated NaCl solution.     

Electrosynthesis of polyaniline–molybdate coating on steel and its corrosion protection performance

Electrosynthesis of polyaniline–molybdate (PANI–MoO₄²⁻) on mild steel was achieved in oxalic acid medium using cyclic voltammetry technique. Adherent and homogeneous PANI–MoO₄²⁻ coating was obtained. The corrosion behavior of steel with PANI–MoO₄²⁻ coatings in 1% NaCl solutions was investigated by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The coating was characterized by SEM, XPS, EDAX and FTIR. The self-healing ability of PANI–MoO₄²⁻ coating was confirmed by SVET technique. It has been found that the PANI–MoO₄²⁻ coating is able to offer higher corrosion protection in comparison to that of pure PANI coating due to inhibitive nature of molybdate ions.     

Effective corrosion protection of AA6061 aluminum alloy by sputtered Al-Ce coatings

Al-Ce coatings were deposited on silicon and AA6061 aluminum alloy substrates by DC magnetron sputtering using aluminum in combination with pure cerium targets. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in order to consider their application as high corrosion resistance coatings. The corrosion behavior of the films was studied using a NaCl aqueous solution (3.5 wt%). As for the characterization results, an apparent amorphous phase of aluminum oxide with small cerium compounds embedded in the matrix was detected by the X-ray diffraction patterns and HRTEM on the deposited films at 200 W and 4 Pa. At these conditions, AFM and SEM images evidenced crack-free coatings with low-roughness nanometric structures and columnar growth. EIS and Tafel results converged to indicate an inhibition of the corrosion reactions. The film displayed good stability in the aggressive medium and after 1 day of exposure underwent very little degradation. The variations in the impedance and Tafel characteristics were found to occur as a function of cerium content, which provokes important changes in the film protective properties.     

Influence of inhibitor addition on the corrosion protection performance of sol–gel coatings on AA2024

Sol–gel films are actively investigated during the last decade as possible candidates for environmentally friendly pre-treatments. However, the important drawback in this case is the lack of active corrosion protection and self-healing ability.     

Investigation of corrosion protection performance of epoxy coatings modified by polyaniline/clay nanocomposites on steel surfaces

In this study, polyaniline (PANI) and polyaniline/clay nanocomposites were prepared via in situ oxidative polymerization. The morphology of nanocomposites structures was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The chemical structures of PANI and PANI/clay nanocomposites were examined via Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Polyaniline-based pigments were introduced into epoxy paint and applied on steel substrates. The effect of clay addition and the type of clay cation, including Na⁺ in natural clay (MMT) and alkyl ammonium ions in organo-modified montmorillonite (OMMT), on the anticorrosion performance of epoxy-based coatings was investigated through electrochemical Tafel test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and immersion measurements in NaCl solution. The stability of the adhesion of the neat and modified epoxy coatings to the steel surface was also examined. The results indicated that introduction of PANI/OMMT nanocomposite into epoxy paint results in improved anticorrosion properties in comparison with PANI/MMT and neat PANI.     

Epoxy powder coatings containing polyaniline for enhanced corrosion protection

Incorporation of polyaniline (PANI) in epoxy type powder coating formulations has not been attempted earlier. Using specific grade of PANI with low doping, it can be incorporated in epoxy powder coating formulations by twin screw extrusion process. The powder formulations were deposited on steel substrates by electrostatic spray coating at −60 kV and baked at 140 °C for 20 min. These were extensively tested for corrosion resistance by exposure to hot saline conditions followed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and also salt spray testing. PANI incorporated coatings showed no deterioration even after 1400 h of hot (65 °C) saline treatment. The coatings intentionally scratched also exhibited self healing property and there was no rust formation even after prolonged exposure to hot saline conditions. These results could be explained on the basis of additional crosslinking due to PANI, as confirmed by DSC results, which gave rise to improved barrier property and self healing was associated with the scavenging of ions by PANI which prevented corrosion of the underlying substrate.     

Corrosion protection of iron by benzoate doped polyaniline containing coatings

Polyaniline containing organic coatings based on vinyl and acrylic resins are found to protect iron in acid and neutral media. Since dopants play an important role in forming salts with iron, a study has been made on the effect of benzoate doped polyaniline on the corrosion protection of iron by polyaniline–vinyl coatings in acid and neutral media. EIS studies have been made on the corrosion protection performance of vinyl coating on steel with 1% polyaniline in 0.1N HCl and 3% NaCl up to 100 days of exposure. It has been found that benzoate doped polyaniline containing coating has found to offer more protection in neutral media than that in acidic media due to passivating ability of benzoate ions in neutral solution, along with iron–polyaniline complex.     

Protective ability of hybrid nano-composite coatings with cerium sulphate as inhibitor against corrosion of AA2024 aluminium alloy

The corrosion protective ability of hybrid oxy silane nano-composite coatings deposited on AA2024 by sol-gel technique was studied. The coatings are developed as an environmentally friendly alternative of the toxic chromium containing coatings on aluminium. A cerium salt, Ce₂(SO₄)₃, was used as inhibitor of the corrosion process. Two methods were applied to introduce the salt in the hybrid matrix: directly in the matrix, or by porous Al₂O₃ nano-particles preliminary loaded by the salt. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to evaluate the superficial morphology of the coatings, while their layer structure was studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Linear voltammetry (LVA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used for assessment of the barrier ability. The hybrid matrix was found to possess remarkable barrier ability which was preserved even after prolonged exposure of the coatings to a model corrosive medium of 0.05 M NaCl. In all cases, the cerium salt involved either directly or by Al₂O₃ nano-particles proved to deteriorate the protective properties of the coatings and to accelerate pitting nucleation. The experimental results have shown that cerium sulphate, introduced in the by the both manners in the hybrid matrix did not efficiently inhibit the corrosion of AA2024, unlike the reported inhibiting properties of other cerium salts.     

Protective properties of polyaniline and poly(aniline-co-o-anisidine) films electrosynthesized on brass

Polyaniline and poly(aniline-co-o-anisidine) films were deposited on brass (Cu40Zn). The synthesis processes of homo and copolymer film were carried out under cyclic voltammetric condition from 0.12 M aniline and 0.06 M aniline + 0.06 M o-anisidine containing 0.2 M sodium oxalate solutions. Homo and copolymer films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM images clearly show that one of the brass electrodes was covered with a black copolymer film of strongly adherent homogeneous characteristic while the other one with a porous dark green homo polymer one. The corrosion performances of coated and uncoated electrodes in 3.5% NaCl were evaluated with the help of AC impedance spectroscopy, anodic polarization plots and open circuit potential–time curves. The protective effect of homo and copolymer films formed on brass grew in parallel with extended exposure time. It was only observed with copolymer-coated electrode that changes in the charge transfer resistance of copolymer-coated electrode were related to strong adsorption of copolymer film on the brass surface which led to the formation of a protective oxide layer due to its catalytic behaviour.     

Effective corrosion protection of 8090 alloy by cerium conversion coatings

Conversion treatments based on immersion in Cr(VI) aqueous solutions are key technologies that combine low cost, easy application and high performance. However, they are environmentally problematic due to their carcinogenity and genotoxicity. Among the potential alternatives, treatments based on rare-earth compounds have drawn attention due to the stability of their oxides and their environmental acceptability. Despite the amount of work published, there is not yet an industrially suitable alternative treatment for aircraft aluminium alloys that is able to provide the required corrosion protection. A common feature of these alloys is the high level of copper in their chemical composition. Although the presence of copper in an alloy may enhance cerium deposition, high copper content alloys (AA2024, AA7075) have proven the most difficult to protect with Ce conversion coatings.In the present work, a commercial 8090-T8 aluminium alloy containing 1.15 weight percent (wt.%) Cu was coated with a Ce conversion coating at room temperature from a Ce bath without prior pretreatment of the specimens. Polarisation curves revealed that the presence of a cerium conversion coating (CeCC) reduces by two orders of magnitude the corrosion rate of the AA8090 alloy in a sodium chloride solution. Impedance measurements exhibited capacitive behaviour for the CeCC up to 216 h, showing that the cerium layer protects the bare alloy in the aggressive solution.Electrochemical tests have therefore revealed that these conversion layers afford long-lasting protection; withstanding up to 168 h in Salt Spray test.     

The influence of thin benzoate-doped polyaniline coatings on corrosion protection of mild steel in different environments

The corrosion process of mild steel in the presence of benzoate-doped polyaniline coatings exposed to different environments (3% NaCl, atmosphere, and the Sahara sand) has been investigated. This system was also tested for cathodic protection and it has proven more efficient comparing to mild steel alone. Possible mechanisms of the corrosion protection of mild steel in the presence of a polyaniline-based coating in different corrosion media were also proposed.     

Novel hybrid sol-gel coatings for corrosion protection of AZ31B magnesium alloy

This work aims to develop and study new anticorrosion films for AZ31B magnesium alloy based on the sol-gel coating approach.Hybrid organic-inorganic sols were synthesized by copolymerization of epoxy-siloxane and titanium or zirconium alkoxides. Tris(trimethylsilyl) phosphate was also used as additive to confer additional corrosion protection to magnesium-based alloy. A sol-gel coating, about 5-μm thick, shows good adhesion to the metal substrate and prevents corrosion attack in 0.005 M NaCl solution for 2 weeks. The sol-gel coating system doped with tris(trimethylsilyl)-phosphate revealed improved corrosion protection of the magnesium alloy due to formation of hydrolytically stable Mg-O-P chemical bonds.The structure and the thickness of the sol-gel film were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The corrosion behaviour of AZ31B substrates pre-treated with the sol-gel derived hybrid coatings was tested by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The chemical composition of the silylphosphate-containing sol-gel film at different depths was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with depth profiling.     

Electropolymerized bilayer coatings of polyaniline and poly(N-methylaniline) on mild steel and their corrosion protection performance

Polyaniline (PANI) and poly(N-methylaniline) (PNMA) have been electrodeposited on mild steel from oxalic acid bath using cyclic voltammetric technique. Pretreatments like passivation and primer polymer coatings were required for effective coating. Differently stacked composite polymer layers on the metal surface by layer-by-layer approach have also been obtained and their properties have been compared with their corresponding copolymer coatings. FTIR study confirms the formation of electroactive polymer compounds on mild steel. Evaluation of these coatings in 3.5% NaCl solution by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals significant corrosion resistant behavior. Relatively higher corrosion protection is exhibited by copolymer coatings and composite-bilayer coatings than the corresponding homopolymer coatings. The composite metal–PANI–PNMA layer shows higher stability and better protection than the metal–PNMA–PANI layer.     

Fault-tolerant hybrid epoxy-silane coating for corrosion protection of magnesium alloy AZ31

In this work, a hybrid epoxy-silane coating was developed for corrosion protection of magnesium alloy AZ31. The average thickness of the film produced by dip-coating procedure was 14 μm. The adhesion strength of the epoxy-silane coating to the Mg substrate was evaluated by pull-off tests and was found to be higher than 16 MPa both in dry and wet conditions. The hybrid epoxy-silane coating showed high corrosion resistance both when intact and when punched through by a needle. The low frequency impedance of intact coating was higher than 1 GΩ cm² after one month of immersion in 3.5% NaCl solution. Both, artificially induced defects and corrosion sites that appeared on the metal surface did not propagate. Their passivation behavior, that we call fault-tolerance, was observed by EIS, SVET-SIET and SEM-EDS. It was ascribed to the good adhesion, high coating integrity and corrosion inhibiting effect provided by diethylenetriamine used as epoxy hardener.     

Galvanic coupling between metal substrate and polyaniline acrylic blends: corrosion protection mechanism

Coating strategies for corrosion protection based on intrinsically electronic conducting polymers, become an important research field mainly due to restrictions to the use of heavy metals, which are related to environmental problems. This work presents the corrosion protection behavior of different metals by using coatings based on acrylic blends formed by polyaniline and poly(methyl methacrylate). Raman spectroscopy revealed that the oxidation state of the PANI component of the blend at undamaged films, depends on the metal surface used as substrate. Results indicate that the degree of redox conversion of polyaniline, from emeraldine to leucoemeraldine state, strongly depends on the reducing power of metals showing a galvanic coupling between the substrate and polyaniline. On the other way, results reveal that PANI acts as an anion reservoir, which can release anions in a smart way when damage is produced on the surface of the coating forming a second physical barrier to avoid penetration of aggressive ions. This phenomenon was observed for all metal studied in this work.     

Inhibition of nickel coated mild steel corrosion by electrosynthesized polyaniline coatings

Polyaniline (PANI) coatings were electrochemically synthesized on nickel (Ni) coated mild steel (MS) and their corrosion protection properties were investigated. In this work, the Ni layer (∼1 μm thick) was electrodeposited on MS under galvanostatic condition. Thereafter, the PANI coating was deposited over the Ni layer from aqueous salicylate medium by using cyclic voltammetry. These bi-layered composite coatings were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The corrosion protection properties of Ni coated MS (Ni/MS) and PANI coated Ni/MS (PANI/Ni/MS) were investigated in aqueous 3% NaCl by using open circuit potential (OCP) measurements, potentiodynamic polarization technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was shown that the top layer of PANI exhibits a lower porosity behavior with respect to Ni coating and reduces the corrosion rate of Ni/MS almost by a factor of 3500 and increases the lifetime of Ni coating.     

Electrodeposition of silane films on aluminum alloys for corrosion protection

In this paper, three types of protective silane films, methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS), vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) and dodecyltrimethoxysilane (DTMS) were prepared on aluminum alloys AA 2024-T3 by electrodeposition technique. The Reflection-Absorption Fourier Transform IR (FTRA-IR) measurements showed that, the silane films were successfully deposited through chemical bonding between silane agents and Al alloys. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests indicated that in comparison with those by conventional “dip-coating” method, silane films electrochemically prepared at cathodic potentials exhibited obviously higher corrosion resistances. “Critical potential” was all observed for each silane system. Silane films prepared at this potential performed the highest corrosion resistance. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicated a potential dependence of surface morphology of silane films. The highest compactness was obtained at the “critical potential”. Due to the presence of long hydrophobic dodecyl chain in bone structure, DTMS films displayed the highest barrier properties.     

Effect of narrow diameter polyaniline nanotubes and nanofibers in polyvinyl butyral coating on corrosion protective performance of mild steel

This study shows the effect of narrow diameter polyaniline (PAn) nanotubes and nanofibers in polyvinyl butyral coating on corrosion protective performance of mild steel. The PAn nanotubes and nanofibers were synthesised by chemical oxidative polymerisation in the presence of dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) as a bulky dopant acid. The molar ratios of monomer to DBSA used for the nanotube and the nanofiber synthesis are 1:1 and 4:1, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results confirm the narrow diameter range of 180–230 nm for the PAn nanotubes and nanofibers. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) confirms that the resistance of the coating containing PAn nanotubes is three times higher than the coating containing PAn nanofibers after 30 days of immersion. This effect can be explained because of the higher surface area of the nanotubes compared to nanofibers with the same mass. This difference increases the ability of PAn to interact with the ions liberated during the corrosion of the steel and increases the rate of cathodic reduction of oxygen on the surface of PAn.     

Application of polyaniline/nylon composites coating for corrosion protection of steel

In this research, we investigated the corrosion inhibition properties of polished steel plates (low carbon) coated with a polyaniline (emeraldine base form) blend with nylon 66 (termed PANi/Ny) via cast method with formic acid as the solvent. Polyaniline (PANi) was prepared chemically from aqueous solution using aniline (0.2 M) as a monomer and ammonium persulfate (0.2 M) as an oxidant. The polymer powder produced was changed into emeraldine base (EB) form after treatment with dilute ammonia solution (0.5 M) in order to do further processing. The corrosion experiments were performed in the open circuit, exposing samples to different aggressive and corrosive conditions (e.g., NaCl, HCl). To produce a good comparison, the corrosion study was performed on both polymer-coated and bare-steel samples. Corrosion monitoring was performed by simple immersion tests and determination of the concentration of iron ions and metal weight loss in test solutions. It was found that PANi/Ny coatings can provide an anodic protection against corrosive environments in which the metals are exposed. The corrosion rate for the polymer coated steel was significantly lower than the bare steel (~10–15 times).