Anticorrosion, Thermal Degradation, and Hydrophobic Performances of Graphene/ TiO 2 Nanocomposite Coatings.

Globally, researchers have devoted consistent efforts to producing excellent coating properties since coating plays an essential role in enhancing electrochemical performance and surface quality. In this study, TiO2 nanoparticles in varying concentrations of 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 wt.% were added into the acrylic-epoxy polymeric matrix with 90:10 wt.% (90A:10E) ratio incorporated with 1 wt.% graphene, to fabricate graphene/ TiO 2 -based nanocomposite coating systems. Furthermore, the properties of the graphene/ TiO 2 composites were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, water contact angle (WCA) measurements, and cross-hatch test (CHT), respectively. Moreover, the field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were conducted to investigate the dispersibility and anticorrosion mechanism of the coatings. The EIS was observed by determining the breakpoint frequencies over a period of 90 days. The results revealed that the TiO 2 nanoparticles were successfully decorated on the graphene surface by chemical bonds, which resulted in the graphene/ TiO 2 nanocomposite coatings exhibiting better dispersibility within the polymeric matrix. The WCA of the graphene/ TiO 2 coating increased along with the ratio of TiO 2 to graphene, achieving the highest CA of 120.85° for 3 wt.% of TiO2. Excellent dispersion and uniform distribution of the TiO 2 nanoparticles within the polymer matrix were shown up to 2 wt.% of TiO2 inclusion. Among the coating systems, throughout the immersion time, the graphene/ TiO 2 (1:1) coating system exhibited the best dispersibility and high impedance modulus values ( Z 0.01   Hz ), exceeding 10 10 Ω   cm 2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]