Facile preparation of superamphiphobic epoxy resin/modified poly(vinylidene fluoride)/fluorinated ethylene propylene composite coating with corrosion/wear-resistance

A robust superamphiphobic epoxy resin (EP)/modified poly(vinylidene fluoride) (MPVDF)/fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) composite coating has been prepared through the combination of chemical modification and spraying technique. Nanometer silica (SiO2, 2.5 wt.%) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs, 2.5 wt.%) were added in the coating to construct the necessary reticulate papillae structures for superamphiphobic surface. The prepared EP composite coating demonstrated high static contact angles (166, 155) and low sliding angles (3, 5) to water and glycerol, respectively. Moreover, the prepared coating can also retain superhydrophobicity under strongly acidic and alkaline conditions. The brittleness of EP can be avoided by introducing the malleable MPVDF. The wear life of the EP composite coating with 25 wt.% FEP was improved to 18 times of the pure EP coating. The increased wear life of the coating can be attributed to the designed nano/micro structures, the self-lubrication of FEP and the chemical reaction between EP and MPVDF. The anti-corrosion performance of the coatings was investigated in 3.5% NaCl solution using potentiodynamic polarization. The results showed that the prepared superamphiphobic composite coating was most effective in corrosion resistance, primarily due to the barrier effect for the diffusion of O-2 and H2O molecules. It is believed that this robust superamphiphobic EP/MPVDF/FEP composite coating prepared by the facile spray method can pave a way for the large-scale application in pipeline transport. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.