A polyeugenol/graphene composite with excellent anti-corrosion coating properties

Abstract

In recent years, metal corrosion has caused serious threats to the world economy and the environment. This study presents the first successful application of a polyeugenol/graphene composite as a coating for corrosion protection. The barrier properties of graphene can significantly increase the corrosion resistance of metals joined to polymers. Polyeugenol (PE) was obtained through the cationic addition polymerization process, and graphene (G) was obtained by reducing graphene oxide using the Hummers’ method. Polyeugenol/graphene (PE/G) was synthesized through a solution mixing method and its application to metals through the drop-casting process. The potentiodynamic polarization technique was used to measure the performance of the anti-corrosion coating. It was found that the PE/G composite showed superior anti-corrosion properties compared to pure PE, where the corrosion protection efficiency increased from 37% to 78% by incorporating 1.25% by weight of graphene in the PE polymer matrix. The PE/G composite coated metal showed higher hydrophobicity than the uncoated metal or the PE coated metal. Morphological analysis of the coatings and corrosion products formed was performed using SEM and XRD. In general, it can be concluded that the anti-corrosion performance of PE/G coatings is much higher than that of pure PE coatings.