Corrosion protection mechanisms of carbon steel by an epoxy resin containing indole-3 butyric acid modified clay

This work is an extension of studies into the mechanisms of corrosion protection of mild steel by an epoxy resin containing organically modified clay (Hang et al. [1]; Truc et al. [2]). In a previous study (Truc et al. [2]), it was shown that indole-3 butyric acid (IBA)-modified clay improved the corrosion performance of epoxy. In the present study, it was shown that the IBA is an anodic inhibitor and its efficiency was about 93%. Exfoliation and dispersion of the IBA-modified clay in the epoxy coating were checked by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The improvement of the corrosion performance of the epoxy coating containing IBA-modified clay by comparison with pure epoxy coating was confirmed for a low film thickness (10 μm). Local electrochemical impedance measurements performed on scratched samples revealed the inhibitive action of IBA at the carbon steel/coating interface. It was shown that the inhibitor release from the IBA-modified clay was favoured for high pH values. Thus, in neutral media, the corrosion process which induces a local increase of pH will increase the self-healing performance.