Effect of curing time on the protective performance of ecofriendly silane sol-gel coating on mild steel

This paper intends to evaluate the effect of curing time on the protective function of ecofriendly silane sol-gel coating applied on mild steel. The sol-gel coatings composed of three precursors, namely TEOS, MTES and GPS, were cured at 150 °C for 15, 45 and 75 min. In order to study the corrosion of coated steels, several surface analysis and electrochemical techniques were used. The optimum curing time was determined using the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and polarization measurements. Moreover, HRSEM and water contact angle data indicated the optimum crosslink density of coating cured during 45 min revealing the most effective barrier effect.