Preparation of epoxy–clay nanocomposite and investigation on its anti-corrosive behavior in epoxy coating

An epoxy–clay nanocomposite was synthesized using a quaternary ammonium-modified montmorillonite clay and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) type epoxy resin, in order to produce anti-corrosive epoxy coating. Anti-corrosive properties of the nanocomposite were investigated using salt spray and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. The results showed an improvement in the barrier and anti-corrosive characteristics of epoxy-based nanocomposite coating and a decrease in water uptake in comparison with pure epoxy coating. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that the interlayer spacing of clays increased after addition of epoxy resin along with applying shear force and ultrasound sonicator. The best performance of this coating was achieved at 3 and 5 wt.% clay concentration.