Steel surface pre-treated by an advance and eco-friendly cerium oxide nanofilm modified by graphene oxide nanosheets; electrochemical and adhesion measurements

In this research the silane-functionalized graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were utilized for modification of an eco-friendly cerium conversion coating and its effect on the cathodic disbonding, corrosion protection and adhesion properties of the epoxy coating was investigated. For this purpose, the cerium coating was modified by GO nanosheets functionalized with 3-(Triethoxysilyl) propyl isocyanate (TEPI, IGO nano-fillers). The Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) showed that the addition of IGO nano-fillers in the cerium coating resulted in improved anti-corrosion properties of cerium coatings. The adhesion and anti-corrosion performance of the steel-cerium/epoxy system were also investigated. Results showed that inclusion of IGO nano-filler into the cerium matrix significantly improved the corrosion resistance, cathodic disbonding and adhesion properties of the top epoxy coating.