Corrosion protection of mild steel by polypyrrole phosphate composite coating

Electrodeposition of polypyrrole phosphate (PPy–P) on mild steel (ST12) was achieved in oxalic acid medium using cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique. Adherent and homogeneous PPy–P films were obtained. The corrosion behavior of mild steel with phosphate (PPy–P) coatings in 3.5% NaCl solutions was investigated through potentiodynamic polarization technique, open circuit potential–time curves, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Based on a physical model for the corrosion of mild steel composite, the Zview (II) software was applied to the EIS to estimate the parameters of the proposed equivalent circuit. It was found that the PPy–P coatings could provide much better protection than PPy. The effect of phosphate on the morphology and structure of the passive film was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and electron dispersion X-ray analysis (EDX). The results reveal that the PPy–P coated electrode provided a noticeable enhancement of protection against corrosion process.