Investigation of the Effect of Hybrid Multi-layered Graphene Oxide/talc on Hydrophobicity and Long-term Corrosion Resistance of Epoxy Coatings on Steel Substrates

This research aims to prepare a hybrid nanostructure including multi-layered graphene oxide and talc (MLGO/Talc) with hydrophobicity to obtain a corrosion-resistant epoxy coating with high adhesion to the steel substrate in low weight percentages. This coating was subjected to a detailed and long-term corrosion study. Three epoxy coatings containing 0.5, 1.5 and 1.5 wt. % of MLGO/Talc were prepared and analyzed using a salt spray, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, polarization, contact angle, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Atomic force microscopy, and Thermogravimetric analysis. Their analysis showed that the highest corrosion resistance performance is obtained in the presence of 1 wt. % of MLGO / Talc. Based on the water contact angle test, the contact angle value of 94.03 in this nano-coating indicates a hydrophobic property. Also, after 10 months of immersion in sodium chloride solution, 3.5 % by weight, the impedance resistance of the nano-coating was more than 108 Ω cm2, which indicates the high corrosion protection efficiency of this nano-coating.