Copper (Cu) is an important base material for many electrical,
thermal, and home applications. However, corrosion of Cu is a serious
concern in chloride-containing solutions. The present work reports
lotus leaf coating on Cu as a successful preventive solution. After
preparation of a lotus leaf chloroform extract (LLCE), an ultrathin
(15 ± 5 nm) film of LLCE is created by the floating film transfer
method (FFTM) and transported on Cu through stamping. LLCE has been
characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy (UVS), nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy
(FTIRS) techniques, which disclose that LLCE meets the expectations
of being rich in biomolecules. The LLCE coating on Cu was done in
a layerwise manner (1–3) and analyzed with scanning electron
microscopy (SEM) and a drop shape analyzer (DSA). The SEM images show
that there are films on Cu, and DSA suggests that LLCE coatings have
increased the hydrophobicity of Cu (contact angle 96) to greater than
100. Open-circuit potential (OCP) curves, Tafel polarization (TP)
curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), SEM, energy-dispersive
X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been
deployed to investigate the LLCE-coated Cu corrosion in 0.5 M sodium
chloride. The LLCE film of three layers (3L) on Cu is found to be
the most efficient (97%, TP) against corrosion among the tested ones.
SEM and AFM images evidently show that the 3L-coated Cu was the least
damaged through corrosion. The reason for prevention can be recommended
as blockage of the openings on the bare Cu surface by LLCE films.
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.