Improvement of the epoxy coating properties by incorporation of polyaniline surface treated TiO2 nanoparticles previously modified with vitamin B6

• TiO2 nanoparticles were surface modified with pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6).
• Modified TiO2 nanoparticles were used to prepare TiO2-PANI core-shell nanocomposite.
• Epoxy resin was reinforced with PANI and TiO2-PANI core-shell nanocomposite.
• Addition of PANI or TiO2-PANI increased epoxy resin glass transition temperature.
• Epoxy coating based on TiO2-PANI had better mechanical and anticorrosion properties.

Novel TiO2-PANI core-shell nanocomposite, prepared by in situ oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of TiO2 nanoparticles surface modified with vitamin B6, was used to reinforce epoxy resin. The size of prepared TiO2 nanoparticles and TiO2-PANI nanocomposite were determined by a transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The surface modification of TiO2 nanoparticles was confirmed by FTIR and UV–vis spectroscopy, while the morphology of PANI and TiO2-PANI nanocomposite was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The influence of TiO2-PANI nanocomposite on glass transition temperature, dielectric and dynamic mechanical properties, thermooxidative stability, mechanical and anticorrosion properties of epoxy based nanocomposites was investigated and compared to the properties of epoxy/PANI nanocomposites. It has been observed that the glass transition temperature of epoxy resin increases after introduction of PANI and TiO2-PANI nanocomposite, as well as with increasing their content. Prepared nanocomposites exhibited higher value of dielectric constant than pure epoxy resin. Epoxy based coating containing TiO2-PANI nanocomposite showed lower dielectric loss, higher hardness and better anticorrosion properties than pure epoxy resin and epoxy/PANI nanocomposite.

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