For
the first time, organic tannic acid (TA) molecules and then
inorganic praseodymium (Pr) cations as corrosion inhibitors were successfully
loaded into a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF8)-type porous coordination
polymer (PCP) decorated on molybdenum disulfide, MoS2,
(MS)-based transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) to create novel
hybrid mesoporous Pr/TA-ZIF8@MS nanoreservoirs. Thereafter, the hybrid
nanoreservoirs were embedded into the epoxy matrix for the preparation
of smart pH-triggered nanocoatings. Characterizations of the Pr/TA-ZIF8@MS
nanoreservoirs via Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction
(XRD), thermogravimetric (TG), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller
(BET), and field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM)/energy-dispersive
X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) experiments confirmed the fabrication of
mesoporous structures comprising Pr/TA interfacial interactions with
ZIF8-decorated MS nanoplatelets possessing high thermal stability
and compact/dense configuration features with a framework reorientation.
A remarkable smart release of the inhibited cations (Pr3+ and Zn2+) in the presence of inbuilt TA at both acidic
and alkaline media was achieved under inductively coupled plasma (ICP)
examination. The superior pH-triggered self-healing inhibition through the smart controlled-release of
Pr, tannate, Zn, and imidazole inhibited species/complexes from EP/Pr-TA-ZIF8@MS
via ligand exchange was obtained from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
(EIS) assessments of the scratched coatings during 72 h of saline
immersion. In addition, the long-term barrier-induced corrosion prevention
(log |Z|10 mHz = 10.49 Ω·cm2 after 63 days) of the EP/Pr-TA-ZIF8@MS was actualized. Moreover,
efficient increments of the coating cross-link density (56.45%), tensile
strength (63.6%), and toughness value (56.5%) compared to the Neat
epoxy coating revealed noticeable thermomechanical properties of the
EP/Pr-TA-ZIF8@MS.