Synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched polyether/DGEBA hybrid coatings

The design and synthesis of high performance epoxy anti-corrosion coatings are very desirable; however, they still remain a big challenge until today. In this paper, epoxide-terminated hyperbranched polyether (EHBPE) was incorporated into epoxy coatings to enhance the corrosion resistance. EHBPE/DGEBA hybrid coatings were characterized by rheometer, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) crosslink density spectrometer, and contact angle meter. Effects of EHBPE loading on the corrosion resistance of hybrid coatings were investigated. Results show that hybrid coating containing 5% EHBPE shows considerable enhancement in corrosion resistances compared with the neat DGEBA coating, which can be explained by the higher crosslink density, less structural defects, and possible fewer free volume. Results suggest that the EHBPE/DGEBA hybrid coating has much improved corrosion resistance and can be used an anti-corrosion coating.