Development of Conducting Polymer Nanocomposites Based Coating for Protection of Metals Against Corrosion

Abstract

Proposed research work is related to the development of smart, eco-friendly and highly durable coating of conducting polymers/metal oxide formulated with epoxy resin and evaluation of these nanocomposites for protection of iron from corrosion under aggressive condition. Corrosion behaviour of a smart coating on mild steel will be carried out using electrochemical studies, Salt Spray test, Accelerated Weather-o-meter, immersion test andweight loss method. The attainment of processibility and solubility of polyaniline in common organic solvents is the prime issue in the field of intrinsically conducting polymers. Polyanilinein its doped state as synthesized is insoluble in most solvents and does not show thermal stability above 250° C. In the last two decades, much attention has been paid to improve the solubility of PANI and thereby its processability. newlineOur proposed research work is related to improve the processability of PANI i.e. preparation of copolymers by using substituted aniline as monomers, use of suitable anionic dopants which favour dissolution, synthesis of blends and composites of PANI with conventional thermoplastics, metals/metal oxide etcand its solubility of in common organic solvents. The solubility is necessary requirement for its use in corrosion inhibition while proccessability is also one of the important factors for their use in anticorrosive coatings for protection of iron. newlineAnother motive of our proposed research work is to enhance the mechanical properties of coating such as abrasive, flexibility, adhesion and scratch hardnessby incorporating the metal oxides nanoparticles in conducting polymer matrix.Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) studies have shown purely capacitive behavior of the nanocomposite coatings with high impedance values and low capacitance. Salt spray test (ASTM B117) of nanocomposite coated surfaces (in salt spray mist of 5.0 wt.%NaCl solution) demonstrated no extended corrosion along the scribe marks. Physico-mechanical testing such as scratch, Taber abrasion