Synthesis, characterization and thermodynamic study of a polymer nanocomposite from methyl acrylate and zirconium chloride as an anti-corrosion coating for carbon steel

In this article, a polymer nanocomposite prepared from methyl acrylate and zirconium chloride with addition of titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) as a filler was used as a coating on carbon steel (CS) in sea water (3.5% NaCl) at different temperatures (293, 303, 313, 323 K). The addition of TiO2 NPs to the polymer improved the chemical and physical properties of the prepared polymer, such as: mechanical strength, heat resistance and resistance to impact, lower dielectric constant and electrical conductivity of polymer nanocomposite films due to loading of TiO2 NPs into the polymer composite. The corrosion study was carried out by using polarization curves. The maximum protection efficiency (PE%) was 89.9% at 323 K. The nanocomposite coating was examined by a number of techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The results of X-ray and AFM analysis revealed that the nanocomposite was a mix of polymer and metal oxide nanoparticles that were dispersed consistently in general. The nanocomposite FT-IR spectra developed in the 500-680 cm-1 region, indicating that a single-phase spinal structure with two sublattices was created. The appearance of two peaks in the ranges of 1100- 1200 and 1400-1450 cm-1 is due to C-O and C-C stretching vibrations of anhydride groups in the polymer. The thermodynamics and kinetic parameters of corrosion were calculated and discussed.