Development of multifunctional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)‐epoxy‐zinc oxide nanocomposite coatings for marine applications

Abstract

Multifunctional epoxy-polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposite coatings with antifouling and anticorrosion characteristics have been developed via in situ polymerization method at different loading (1, 3, and 6.5 wt.%) of ZnO nanoparticles to cater marine applications. A detailed comparative analysis has been carried out between epoxy-polydimethylsiloxane control (EPC) and ZnO-reinforced coatings to determine the influence of ZnO loading on various properties. The incorporation of ZnO in EPC led to increase in root mean square (RMS) roughness to 126.75 nm and improved hydrophobicity showing maximum contact angle of 123.5°with low surface energy of 19.75 mN/m of nanocomposite coating as compared with control coating. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) result indicated improved glass transition temperature of nanocomposite coatings with highest T g obtained at 83.69°C in case of 1 wt.% loading of ZnO. The increase in hydrophobicity of the system was accompanied by upgraded anticorrosion performance exhibiting 98.8% corrosion inhibition efficiency (CIE) as compared with control coating and lower corrosion rate of 0.12 × 10 −3 mm/year. The Taber abrasion resistance and pull-off adhesion strength results indicated an increment of 34.7% and 150.7%, respectively, in case of nanocomposite coating as compared with the control coating.The hardness of nanocomposite coatings was also improved, and maximum hardness was found to be 65.75 MPa for nanocomposite coating with 1 wt.% of ZnO.Our study showed that the nanocomposite coating was efficient in inhibiting accumulation of marine bacteria and preventing biofouling for more than 8 months. The developed environment-friendly and efficient nanocomposite material has a promising future as a high-performance anticorrosive and antifouling coating for marine applications. | MATERIALSEP resin, i.e., DGEBA, Araldite GY-251 with EP equivalent value ranging from 180 to 189 g/eq and EP value of 5.30 to 5.55 eq/Kg, and hardener triethylene tetra amine (TETA, Aradur HY-951) with amine value 24.04 g/eq were purchased from M/s. Huntsman Int Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, India. PDMS-hydroxy terminated (h-PDMS) with dynamic viscosity of 25 centistokes and density value 0.95 g/mL at temperature of 25°C and APTES (3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane), assay (99%) and density value of 0.946 g/mL at 25°C (lit.) were procured from M/s. Sigma Aldrich Pvt Ltd, India. ZnO nanoparticle with average particle size of approximately 20 nm were purchased from M/s. Sisco

PDMS-ZnO Piezoelectric Nanocomposites for Pressure Sensors

“…At this concentration, the formation of agglomerations is low and the mechanical properties are not significantly affected while for concentrations from 2% up to 5%, E was found to decrease regardless of the type of filler. The observed decrease can be explained by the fact that nanofillers can restrict the formation of the 3D networks within the polymer, a weak filler–matrix interaction and an increase in the interacting interphase region [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. The introduction of ZnO nanofillers in the PDMS matrix inhibits the curing process, thus resulting in a decrease in crosslinking density leading to a final nanocomposite with a lower E [ 42 , 43 ].…”

Electrochemical inspection of polypyrrole/chitosan/zinc oxide hybrid composites

“…[48] The significant peaks are in obedience to the international center for diffraction data, JCPDS 65-3,411. [49,50] The broad peak observed between 20 and 30 referred to the π-π stacking of the polypyrrole. [51,52] Upon addition of chitosan into PPy, the XRD peak of the π-π stacking increases in intensity and thereby FWHM of the peak decreases from 13 for pristine PPy to 9 for the PPy/Chy composite indicates the ordered arrangement.…”

Integration of antifouling properties into epoxy coatings: a review

“…In such an effort, ZnO nanoparticles were incorporated into PDMS-modified DGEBA epoxy. 73 The hybrid epoxy/PDMS/ZnO coating cured with amine hardener efficiently inhibited the accumulation of marine bacteria and promisingly showed antifouling for more than 8 months.…”