A sulfuric acid surface treatment of mild steel for enhancing the protective properties of an organosilane coating

This work intends to study the effect of mild steel treatment with sulfuric acid solutions on the protective properties of subsequent organosilane coating. For this purpose, acid solutions were prepared at different pHs including 1.5, 3, 4 and 5. FE-SEM, AFM, XPS and water contact angle measurements was used to investigate the surface chemistry and morphology changes on the mild steel after acid treatments. EIS was employed to evaluate the electrochemical properties of organosilane coatings on mild steel treated by the acid solutions. The results showed that the optimal surface treatment was obtained at pH 3. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.