In this research, epoxy composites were prepared using different loadings (0.5, 0.8, 1, 2 and 3 wt-%) of clay nanoparticles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was utilised to investigate the curing behaviour of epoxy resin. The quality of dispersion and the distribution structure of nanoclays in coating were studied by visual observations and X-ray diffraction in detail. Corrosion resistance behaviour of epoxy coating containing various clay percentages was investigated on steel by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Moreover, the modification of substrate was accomplished using conversion coating based on hexafluorozirconic acid. The electrochemical results revealed that the pretreated coating with 3 wt-% nanoclays possesses the best anticorrosive performance (2.5610 8 V cm 2 ) after 2 weeks immersion in 3.5 wt-%NaCl solution. The morphological properties of conversion coating were observed by a field emission scanning electron microscope. In addition, pull-off technique was employed to measure the adhesion strength of coatings to metallic substrate. Experimental results exhibited that optimum clay loadings and conversion coating impressively increased the corrosion resistance and coating adhesion as well.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.