Synthesis and anticorrosion performance of poly(2,3-dimethylaniline)-TiO2 composite

Poly(2,3-dimethylaniline)-TiO2 composite (PTC) was prepared by oxidative polymerization of 2,3-dimethylaniline in phosphoric acid medium with ammonium persulphate as oxidant. The composite was characterized by Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). TiO2 particles, rather being simply blended or mixed up, are encapsulated or entrapped into the polymer core, resulting in some significant improvement in its anticorrosion properties. Suitable coating with PTC was formed on steel using epoxy resin, and its corrosion resistance behavior was studied by open circuit potential (OCP) and electrochemical impendence spectroscopy (EIS) in 3.5% NaCl solution and also compared with that of PANI and poly(2,3-dimethylaniline) (P(2,3-DMA)). It has been found out that the coating containing PTC has got higher corrosion resistance than that of PANI and P(2,3-DMA).