Development of Anti-corrosive coatings based on Epoxy Resin reinforced with GO-coated Chitosan Nanoparticles.

Corrosion is a life-threatening industrial problem that causes significant economic losses, safety concerns, and, more importantly, issues in various industrial sectors like construction, chemical processing, and marine engineering. Our research focuses on the production of anticorrosive nanocomposite coatings based on epoxy resin reinforced with graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles and chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) to provide protection against corrosion. Epoxy resin was chosen as a primary matrix due to its superior mechanical properties and resistance to chemicals. Graphene oxide (GO) and Chitosan (CH NPs) were selected as nanofillers. Chitosan was chosen based on its biocompatibility and adhesive features, whereas Graphene oxide (GO) was chosen as a barrier enhancer. In this work, GO was prepared through the Modified Hummers’ method, and CH NPs through Green Synthesis techniques. The CH/GO nanocomposite was prepared with varying concentrations of GO (0.5% and 1%) by the in situ method. These composites were incorporated into Epoxy Resin at 2wt% and then drop-cast onto substrate sheets. Different characterization methods have been used to determine the structure, morphology, and anticorrosive performance of the hybrid coatings: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Analysis revealed that the 1 % GO-CH NPs coating had the highest corrosion resistance with a very high value of impedance, poor porosity, and much better surface morphology when compared to the control.