The aim of this paper was to evaluate the performance of two different modified zeolitic minerals as anticorrosion pigments in order to reduce or eliminate zinc phosphate in paints. In the first stage, the selected minerals were characterized and modified with cerium ions to obtain the anticorrosion pigments. Their inhibitive properties were evaluated by means of electrochemical techniques (corrosion potential measurements and polarization curves) employing a steel electrode immersed in the pigments suspensions. In the second stage, solvent-borne paints, with 30% by volume of the anticorrosion pigment, with respect of the total pigment content, were formulated. The performance of the resulting paints was assessed by accelerated (salt spray and humidity chambers) and electrochemical tests (corrosion potential measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) and compared with that of a control paint with 30% by volume of zinc phosphate. Results obtained in this research suggested that zeolites can be used as carriers for passivating ions in the manufacture of anticorrosion paints with at least reduced zinc phosphate content.

A wide variety of inhibitive pigments is now being offered as possible alternatives to chromate and lead compounds for painted metals protection. Unfortunately, the most wide spread of these substitute pigments, zinc phosphate, has, at present, raised some environmental concern because phosphate causes the eutrophication of water courses and zinc itself is toxic. The aim of this research was to study the anticorrosive performance of a mixture consisting of zinc phosphate, modified zeolite and clay (bentonite) in order to diminish phosphate content in paints. The zeolite and the clay were exchanged with La(III) ions, as inorganic green inhibitor. In the first step, the anticorrosion protection by La(III) ions in solution was assessed by electrochemical tests. In the second step, an epoxy-polyamide paint formulated with the pigment mixture applied on galvanized panels was studied by salt spray test and electrochemical noise measurements (ENM). The results showed that it was possible to replace part of the zinc phosphate content in the paint with the exchanged zeolite and the clay.

Six pectins with 35% to 91% methoxylation degree were purified and characterized to encapsulate Crystal Violet (CV). Amidated low methoxylated pectin (ALMP) was selected based on microsphere morphologies, aqueous solubility, viscosity and the effect of calcium concentration. Pectin microspheres were stabilized with Arabic gum (AG) and optimized according to the loading. Microspheres composed of 2.0% ALMP-1.0% AG crosslinked with 450 mM calcium(II) were able to encapsulate 217 ± 2 μM CV. Optical microscopy of the gels revealed spheroid microspheres with 250 ± 50 μm diameter containing homogenous CV distribution. Dried microspheres observed by SEM and epifluorescence showed a highly shrinkable matrix keeping the spheroidal morphology. Low relative viscosity of the ALMP-AG-CV solutions was found compared to ALMP and ALMP-AG. The Young moduli (60-80 Pa) of ALMP-AG microspheres by texturometric analysis indicated that the CV could interfere with the gel crosslinking. Raman spectroscopy analysis suggested some interaction of CV nucleophilic center within the matrix. FTIR of the matrix showed largest shifts in the carbonyl and carboxylate groups probably associated to H-bridges. CV stability studies performed on ALMP-AG microspheres, synthetized from polymer solutions with pH values above and below pectin pKa and showed faster CV release rates in presence of ionic strength.