Waterborne polyurethane (WPU) and high solid polyurethane (HPU) coatings containing nanoparticulate silver were coated on mild steel and compared to the corresponding coatings without nanoparticulate silver in NaCI solution using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The EIS results showed WPU coating degradation in the presence of nanoparticulate silver, while inclusion of nanoparticulate silver in HPU coating revealed no significant effect on the coating resistance. The WPU and HPU coatings morphology was investigated by SEM cross-section, which showed loss of WPU coating integrity in the presence of nanoparticulate silver, while no significant effect was observed for the HPU coating. The dual behavior of nanoparticulate silver in WPU and HPU coatings was connected to their different chemical structures confirmed by FUR spectroscopy. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.