Influence of Alkyd Composite Coatings with Polyaniline Doped with Different Organic Acids on the Corrosion of Mild Steel

Composite coatings prepared by mixing 5 wt.% polyaniline with commercial alkyd-based paints were applied on carbon steel. The polyaniline emeraldine chloride salt was prepared by procedure recommended by IUPAC, including deprotonation by ammonia hydroxide, and reprotonation with sulfamic, succinic, citric, and acetic acids with different doping degrees or oxidation states. The steel samples with base and composite coatings were immersed in 3% NaCl and the corrosion current density was determined after 96 h in situ using the ASTM 1,10-phenanthroline method. The samples were also inspected by optical microscopy. It was shown that the composite coatings reduced the possibility of blister formations and delamination. The corrosion current density and the appearance of the corrosion products, whose area was determined by ImageJ software, closely followed the initial oxidation state of the polyaniline. It was also shown that damaged composite coatings with higher degrees of oxidized (doped) polyaniline were more prone to formation of corrosion products. The role of the initial state of the polyaniline is discussed. It is suggested that such behavior could be connected to the oxygen reduction reaction mechanism that proceeds mainly via two electron paths on the polyaniline particles, releasing a much smaller amount of hydroxyl ions, which is responsible for the delamination and blister formation of the commercial coatings.