Boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) consisting of 2D hexagonal boron nitride nano-layers were deposited, onto silicon substrates, via chemical vapour deposition process at 1000 • C. The BNNS were functionalized in argon plasma admixed with sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) or tetrafluorethane (C2H2F4) gases. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), High resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Water contact angle (WCA) measurements were used to characterize the BNNS before and after plasma modification. Significant changes in the surface features, upon plasma treatments of the BNNS, were noticed during scanning and transmission electron microscopy examinations. The XPS analyses revealed an extensive surface fluorination in the case of Ar/SF6 plasma, while formation of fluoro-carbon layer coating on the surface of BNNS was noticed in the case of Ar/C2H2F4 plasma. Furthermore, the plasma treatments made BNNS super-hydrophobic with a contact angle as high as 167.9 • compared to 118.2 • for the untreated BNNS. The wettability of the nanostructures, as measured form the water contact angle measurements, is discussed by referring to changes in surface chemistry and morphology after plasma treatment. The stability of BNNS at high temperatures, coupled with plasma treatment can make this material a potential candidate as super-hydrophobic coating for self-cleaning application at the industrial level.

For most steel structures in a marine environment, corrosion is a big problem which relates to long-term safety. Cathodic protection is an effective method to resist corrosion in seawater. In most cases, the design of cathodic protection systems depends on the empirical experience of the corrosion engineers. To achieve the protection potential of the whole structure, excess protective current is usually applied, which leads to the waste of protection material. In this paper, a boundary element method was used to simulate the impressed current cathodic protection of an offshore oil platform to achieve ideal potential and current distribution. The location and the amount of anodes with different current demand were calculated using the commercial software Beasy, which has many applications in the corrosion field. The boundary condition of the modelling is defined as the parameter of the anode and the cathode of the system, which can be illustrated with the polarization curve of the material in seawater. A physical model was also built to verify the numerical modelling results, and the experimental results were consistent with the computation prediction. The research proved the efficiency and accuracy of the boundary element method for the impressed current cathodic protection of the offshore structures.

For most steel structures in a marine environment, corrosion is a big problem as it relates to long-term safety. Cathodic protection is an effective method to resist corrosion in seawater. In most cases, the design of cathodic protection systems depends on the empirical expertise of the corrosion engineers. To achieve the protection potential of the whole structure, excess protective current is usually applied, which leads to the waste of protection material. In this paper, the boundary element method was used to simulate the impressed current cathodic protection of an offshore oil platform to achieve ideal potential and current distribution. The location and the amount of anodes with different current demand were calculated using the commercial software BEASY, which has many applications in the corrosion field. The boundary condition of the model is defined as the parameter of the anode and the cathode of the system, which can be identified from the polarization curve of the material in seawater. A physical model was also built to verify the numerical modelling results, and the experimental results were consistent with the computation predictions. The research proved the efficiency and accuracy of the boundary element method for the impressed current cathodic protection of offshore structures.