Clay/Phosphate/Epoxy nanocomposites for enhanced coating activity towards corrosion resistance

In this study, new clay/phosphate/epoxy nanocomposites (CPE nanocomposite) were fabricated to enhance the corrosion resistance of epoxy resin. The fabricated CPE nanocomposites were evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), water permeability and UV-visible spectroscopy analysis. The evaluation was carried out on the coated carbon steel substrates in 0.5 M HCl solution. The experiments indicated that the best epoxy coating performance was obtained at 1.5% and 2.0% of CPE nanocomposites at ratio 50%:50% (clay: phosphate). The coated carbon steel by CPE nanocomposites showed higher coating resistance (Rc = 58.3 × 108 Ω cm2), than by the neat epoxy (Rc = 06.5 × 108 Ω cm2). The volume fraction of H2O absorbed by 1.5% of CPE nanocomposite is very low comparing with the neat epoxy coating. CPE nanocomposites are able to absorb the UV-Vis light with high efficiency.