Evaluating water transport through high solid polyurethane coating using the EIS method

Buried pipelines are commonly coated with high solid polyurethane to prevent corrosion. The diffusion of water through the coating plays an essential role in the performance and endurance of the coating. This study focuses on the evaluation of water diffusion through polyurethane coatings. The effects of thickness and ambient temperature on water diffusion through polyurethane, which is coated on mild steel and immersed in 3.5% (weight fraction) NaCl solution, are evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Experimental observations clearly indicate that the water diffusion coefficient strongly depends on service temperature and the thickness of coating. Higher temperature (lower than T _g) increases water uptake of the polymer but no measurable changes were observed for the temperature change studied. EIS results show that the mechanism of corrosion does not change in the range of thicknesses and temperature investigated in this study.