Preparation and corrosion resistance of polyaspartic acid-zinc self-assembled film on carbon steel surface.

• PASP-Zn films were constructed on Q235 steel by coordination self-assembly. • PASP-Zn films can improve the corrosion resistance of Q235 steel significantly. • Corrosion resistance is related to PASP/Zn ratio, pH value and assembly time. • The assembly and protection mechanism of PASP-Zn films are proposed. In this work, an economical and environmentally friendly polyaspartic acid-zinc (PASP-Zn) film was successfully prepared on the surface of Q235 steel by coordination self-assembly, and the preparation conditions of PASP-Zn film were optimized by single factor method. The surface morphology and thickness of PASP-Zn film were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the structure and composition of PASP-Zn film were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The corrosion resistance of PASP-Zn film on Q235 steel in 3.5wt % NaCl solution was analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization curves. The results show that PASP film and PASP-Zn film are successfully prepared on the surface of Q235 steel, and the single PASP film is self-assembled monolayers with thin thickness and loose structure. Whereas PASP-Zn film shows a rough morphology, accompanied by appearance of a large amount of nanoparticles, and the thickness of PASP-Zn film is about 98.0 nm. PASP-Zn film exhibits much better corrosion protective performance than PASP film in 3.5 wt % NaCl solution, and the highest protection efficiency can reach 94.48 %. The excellent coordination ability between PASP and zinc ions can effectively improve the compactness and thickness of PASP-Zn film, and prevent the corrosive ions from contacting the Q235 steel surface. By adjusting the preparation conditions, a PASP-Zn film with optimal corrosion resistance was prepared in the film-forming solution containing PASP/Zn ratio of 1:8 and pH value of 5.0 for 30 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]