A new strategy for improvement of the corrosion resistance of a green cerium conversion coating through thermal treatment procedure before and after application of epoxy coating

The effect of post-heating of CeCC on its surface morphology and chemistry has been studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and contact angle (CA) measurements. The corrosion protection performance of the coatings was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The effect of thermal treatment of CeCC on the corrosion protection performance of epoxy coating was investigated by EIS. Results showed that the heat treatment of Ce film noticeably improved its corrosion resistance and adhesion properties compared to that of untreated samples. The CeCC deposited on the steel substrate at room temperature had a highly cracked structure, while the amount of micro-cracks significantly reduced after post-heating procedure. Results obtained from EIS analysis confirmed the effect of post-heating of CeCC on its corrosion protection performance enhancement. The increase of post-heating temperature and time up to 140 °C and 3 h led to better results.