ABSTRACT
Corrosion is a massive problem all over the world due to the exposure of material surfaces to their neighboring environment and total control of corrosion is a challenging task. Most of the corrosion problems occur in the process industries and would be meritoriously addressed by suitable preventive measures. Conventional corrosion control measures, such as galvanization, cathodic protection, powder coating, and protective paints, shield the metal surface from deterioration. But, those techniques require regular maintenance. However, the majority of the approaches are either ineffective or expensive. By protecting the metal surface against corrosion by thin layer deposition using polymer-based coating at subatomic levels, the progress in nanoengineered techniques offers a beneficial and practical solution to such problems. The corrosion rates are governed by the period of contact between the metal surface and the protective coating. Due to the elevated maintenance cost of the corroded equipment in the process industries, it is obligatory to safeguard the device against corrosion. Hence, this chapter presents an overview of the corrosion problems encountered in process industries, the impact of corrosion in process equipment, and the role of nanotechnology in corrosion control. The development of nanostructured thin films using polymeric materials and nanoparticles for the corrosion inhibition studies of mild steel specimens is described. The utilization of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and polyaniline (PANI) in the preparation of nanocomposite coating for corrosion inhibition studies is highlighted. Different techniques employed in the creation of nano–thin layers and their characterization techniques are illustrated. The thin nano layer deposition process on mild steel pipe materials is carried out by dip coating technique with particular emphasis on stability studies. The developed nanocomposite thin films were tested for stability studies at various atmospheric conditions and the exposure time in order to establish optimum conditions. The nanoparticles and thin films used in the corrosion inhibition studies were subjected to a series of characterization techniques viz scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and potentiostatic and polarization techniques. SEM was used to visualize the microstructural characterization and surface features of the preformed thin layer to assess the effectiveness of layer deposition. The significance of the selection of titanium dioxide (TiO2)–PANI as the layer material is due to their large surface-to-volume ratio and stronger corrosion inhibition potential by shielding the metal surface in diverse conditions.
KEYWORDS: Corrosion, mild steel, nanoparticles, polyaniline titanium dioxide.
2024 – Novel Anti‐Corrosion and Anti‐Fouling Coatings and Thin Films