An investigation of the effects of polymer binder compositional variables on the corrosion control of aluminum alloys using magnesium-rich primers

It has recently been shown that magnesium (Mg) particles possessing a thin oxide surface layer can be used to produce primers that provide corrosion protection to aluminum (Al) alloys through a galvanic coupling mechanism. In addition to the Mg particles, polymer binder properties also affect corrosion protection. As a result, the effects of compositional variables associated with a two-component epoxy binder system on the ability of Mg-rich primers to protect an aerospace Al alloy were determined. The variables investigated were epoxy resin molecular mass, curing agent functionality, epoxy/NH ratio, and Mg content. All of the variables investigated had a significant effect on coating system performance and an optimized coating composition was identified that showed very good corrosion protection for at least 3,000 h of ASTM B117 salt spray exposure.