Chemical modification of graphene oxide to reinforce the corrosion protection performance of UV-curable polyurethane acrylate coating

An eco-friendly polyurethane acrylate (PUA) /functionalized graphene oxide nanocomposite coating with excellent corrosion resistance was prepared by UV curing technology. Graphene oxide (GO) was covalently modified by the reactive PUA molecules to improve its dispersibility and the interaction with the polymer matrix, which was verified by the results obtained from Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Subsequently, the PUA functionalized GO (denoted as PGO) nanosheets were doped into the PUA resin matrix. The structures and morphologies of the blank PUA coating, the PUA/GO nanocomposite coating and the PUA/PGO nanocomposite coating were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and their corrosion resistance was investigated via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and salt spray test. Results revealed that the incorporation of PGO nanosheets remarkably improved the corrosion resistance of the PUA matrix due to their good dispersion, outstanding barrier properties and strong bonding strength with the polymer matrix.