The Influence of Mica Iron Oxide Pigments on Epoxy Coating Properties Prepared on AISI 1045 Steel Rebar Immersed in 3.5 wt% NaCl Solution

Abstract

The use of anti-corrosion pigments in organic coatings significantly increases corrosion resistance of steel rebars. In this study, different ratios of mica iron oxide (MIO) pigments were added to the structure of epoxy resin (ER)-based primer coatings. The prepared coating materials were applied to samples of AISI 1045 steel rebars with 8 mm diameter and their corrosion resistance was investigated using EIS and polarization tests. The corrosion potential and resistance of steel rebars coated with ER containing 10 wt% MIOs (10MIO) were found to be higher than the other samples in the EIS. Polarization results exhibited that except the MIO-free sample, all coated steel rebars stayed in the passive level in the experiment procedure which exhibited their excellent resistance to AISI 1045steel corrosion in marine medium. Surface morphology of coated steel rebar showed that the 10MIO sample had less pitting corrosion than the other tests, which matched the electrochemical findings.