Incorporation of silica network and modified graphene oxide into epoxy resin for improving thermal and anticorrosion properties

In this study, the silica network and functionalized graphene oxide (GO) were incorporated into the epoxy coating systems, which was aimed to improve the thermal property and corrosion resistance of epoxy coatings. First, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) oligomers and epoxy hybrid was fabricated through sol-gel method. Then the (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) modified graphene oxide (FGO) was added into the epoxy hybrid composite to obtain anticorrosion coatings. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectrum, and X-ray photoelectron spectrum were conducted to evaluate the structural information of GO and APTES modified GO nanosheets. The results indicated that the APTES successfully grafted onto the surface of GO sheets. Besides, TGA curves, electrochemical measurements and salt spray test were also carried out to characterize the thermal performance and corrosion resistance of GO based epoxy coatings. The TGA results revealed that the thermal performance of epoxy coating containing silica network and FGO nanofiller (ES/FGO) was significantly strengthened compared to pure epoxy. The initial degradation temperature of epoxy coating was increased from 300 to 343.7 degrees C after incorporation of silica component and FGO. The EIS measurements demonstrated that the impedance modulus of ES/FGO was significantly higher than neat epoxy, which indicated that the corrosion resistance of epoxy was substantially strengthened after introduction of silica component and FGO. The corrosion rate and inhibition efficiency of epoxy composite coatings were also shifted from 1.237 x 10(-7) mm/year and 76.6% (for neat epoxy) to 1.870 x 10(-9) mm/year and 99.6% (for ES/FGO), respectively. The salt spray test also revealed that the silica and FGO can improve the corrosion resistance of epoxy coating. Additionally, the dispersion of GO sheets was also enhanced after the modification of APTES siloxane.