Multifunctional self-healing polymeric nanocomposite coatings for corrosion inhibition of steel

Abstract

The present work focuses on the self-healing and corrosion behavior of novel epoxy based coatings containing epoxy monomer (EM) and dodecylamine (DDA) as self-healing and corrosion inhibitor, respectively. The coating self-healing ability and the corrosion inhibition effect have been combined, together, in one single coated layer providing autonomous corrosion protection. Towards this goal, the as-synthesized titania nanotubes (TNTs), with an average size of 20 nm were impregnated with DDA and EM and were thoroughly dispersed into the epoxy used as the matrix and applied on steel. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirms the presence of DDA loaded nanotubes and the loading of inhibitor was estimated by thermogravimetric analysis. Additionally, the amount of the released corrosion inhibitor was identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), analysis shows the polymer healing of the prepared coatings when damaged. The electrochemical studies indicate that the corrosion rate of the steel samples coated with the epoxy modified with the healing additives decreases after 5 days of immersion in saline water.