The Effect of Zirconia Nanoparticles on Thermal, Mechanical, and Corrosion Behavior of Nanocomposite Epoxy Coatings on Steel Substrates

Abstract

Zirconia (ZrO2) nanoparticles (1–3 wt.%) were incorporated into the epoxy matrix using the ultra-sonication mixing method of dispersion to manufacture nanocomposite coatings. An automatic applicator was used to prepare the coating samples on a stainless steel substrate. The influence of ZrO2 nanoparticles on the physicochemical characteristics of epoxy coatings was evaluated using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermos-gravimetric analysis (TGA), elastic modulus, and micro-hardness measurement with the nano-indentation technique. The corrosion stability during immersion in 3.5% NaCl solution was monitored using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). All ZrO2-containing coatings showed better corrosion stability and adhesion than pure epoxy coating. Epoxy coating incorporated with 2% ZrO2 exhibited the greatest values of corrosion resistance and adhesion due to the effect of nanoparticle properties and their better de-agglomeration in the epoxy matrix than pure epoxy coating.

Synergistic Effect of Nanoparticles: Enhanced Mechanical and Corrosion Protection Properties of Epoxy Coatings Incorporated with SiO2 and ZrO2

“…The appearance of peak at 467cm −1 is associated with Si-O-Si bending, thus confirming the presence of silica nanoparticles [ 31 ]. The peak appearance at band 753 cm −1 represents the Zr-O stretch vibration band, which appears after the addition of ZrO 2 nanoparticles in the coating’s formulation [ 23 ].…”

“…Formulations were prepared in a stoichiometric balanced amount of epoxy and hardener, where a fixed percentage of silica nanoparticles were added along with variable percentage of zirconium nanoparticles. A similar preparation procedure was followed as published elsewhere in our previous work [ 23 ], where the resin was initially placed in a beaker and diluted with xylene as a solvent to aid in mixing using a mechanical stirrer (Sheen S2 disperse master, Sheen instruments, Surrey, UK). In contrast, the SNPs were dispersed in acetone with the presence of silane using sonication to ensure proper mixing with the resin.…”

“…While previous studies have individually explored the incorporation of these nanoparticles into epoxy coatings, our research focuses on understanding the combined effect of these nanoparticles. We hypothesize that the simultaneous incorporation of SiO 2 and ZrO 2 nanoparticles can lead to cooperative effects, resulting in superior enhancements in the properties of epoxy coatings compared to the addition of each nanoparticle separately [ 23 ].…”