Bioinspired adhesive polymer coatings for efficient and versatile corrosion resistance

Abstract

The anticorrosion ability of ultrathin coatings with bio-inspired organic polymers is demonstrated. We prepared a series of catechol-containing poly(alkyl methacrylate)s by free radical polymerization. These copolymers were spin-coated on various corrosion susceptible metal/alloy substrates of magnesium, aluminum, copper and iron without any harsh pretreatment. Several key factors like molecular structure, composition ratio and processing conditions were wisely tailored to afford a transparent, firm and submicron polymer coating on those substrates. Corrosion resistance of the polymer-coated substrates was thoroughly investigated by immersion tests in salt-water and acidic solutions, polarization tests, and visual inspection. Formation of an anomalous dense layer of ca. 5 nm thickness adjacent to the metal surface and a remarkable effect of thermal treatment were clearly observed by neutron reflectivity measurements, leading to a highly protective ability against foreign molecules e.g. water or corrosive ions. A key molecular design for anticorrosive polymer coating was revealed to be a combination of strong and versatile binding ability of catechol units and defect free polymer layers formed on the metal substrates in the presence of hydrophobic alkyl chains. Fig. 2 (a) Comparison of TGA curves among different polymers poly 1A-D (black), poly 2 (red) and poly 3 (blue). Heating rate was 10 C min À1 (b) DSC thermograms (second heating cycle) of poly 1A-D (black) and poly 2 (red). This journal is

Influence of Polymer Composition and Substrate on the Performance of Bioinspired Coatings with Antibacterial Activity

“…Of all these strategies, catechol-containing vinyl monomers offer great versatility as they allow the preparation of synthetic polymers with catechol moieties on their side chains by simple radical polymerization. For instance, N-(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl) methacrylamide (DOMA) has been widely employed to prepare a variety of alkyl methacrylate-based copolymers by random copolymerization with other functional monomers for applications as diverse as glue [6], oil repellent coatings [7], anticorrosion coatings [8], DNA immobilization [9], antifouling [10], and antibacterial coatings [11,12]. By this method, systematic tailoring of copolymer composition can be easily afforded to modulate their properties, including their adhesive capacity.…”

Neutron Reflectometry for Studying Corrosion and Corrosion Inhibition

“…Silane barrier films are studied as models for a variety of applications including adhesion promotion, durability and corrosion resistance [55,[121][122][123][124][125][126][127]. There is a good summary of the field in [123].…”

“…Unsurprisingly, therefore, it has been used to characterise the corrosion protection of a variety of different coatings, including bio-inspired adhesive polymers in which catechol groups bind to the metal surface to provide a highly effective water barrier [124].…”

Separation of Oil/Water Mixtures Using Water‐Repellent Particles Coated by a Bioinspired Catechol‐based Polymer

“…Specifically, the high water repellency of lotus leaves is ascribed to the nano‐/micro‐hierarchical structures of their surface, which is coated with low‐surface‐energy materials such as wax . Such surfaces are commonly utilized in water‐repellant coatings, layer‐by‐layer coatings, adhesive coatings for use in water, and protective layers …”

“…[20][21][22] Such surfaces are commonly utilized in water-repellant coatings, [23][24][25][26] layer-by-layer coatings, 27 adhesive coatings for use in water, and protective layers. 28,29 Catechol derivatives are easily polymerized by treatment with ammonia in the presence of air, which allows the fabrication of diverse functional coatings, e.g., superhydrophobic surfaces are obtained using long-alkyl-chain catechols. 23,30 Typically, water-repellent particles are prepared by polymerizing catechol derivatives at 40 C as described above, followed by modification of the obtained functional polymer.…”