Construction of highly anti-corrosion and super-hydrophobic polypropylene/graphene oxide nanocomposite coatings on carbon steel: Experimental, electrochemical and molecular dynamics studies

An anti-corrosion and super-hydrophobic coating of polypropylene (PP) was developed on mild steel surface to prevent the penetration of corrosive agents into the substrate. Additives such as polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PP-g-MAH) and graphene oxide (GO) were introduced to the PP matrix to improve corrosion and hydrophobicity properties. The experimental results showed that the addition of PP-g-MAH and GO increased the compactness so that the PP coating obtained from the solution contained 1.5 g PP-g-MAH and 2 mg GO indicated the highest corrosion resistance (800 times greater than pure PP), the lowest surface roughness (87 nm) and average contact angle of 166 degrees. The MD results also illustrated that the presence of GO enhanced the density (compactness) from 0.80 to 0.85 g/cm(3). The overall results confirmed that the made composite coating is highly effective in preventing the degradation of commonly used construction and building metals such as mild steel.

Automated summary

By introducing additives such as PP-g-MAH and GO into the polypropylene matrix, the coating's compactness and corrosion resistance properties are improved, effectively preventing the degradation of building metals.