Using 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane to decorate graphene oxide with nano-titanium dioxide for enhancing the anti-corrosion properties of epoxy coating

Abstract

In this paper, the graphene oxide loaded with nano titanium dioxide (TiO2-GO) was synthesized through 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane (IPTMS) and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and dispersion test. The results illustrated our modification was successful and TiO2-GO was transferred from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. That greatly enhanced the dispersity of TiO2-GO in epoxy through the observation of the coating morphology test. Moreover, the impact of TiO2-GO on anti-corrosion property in epoxy was investigated by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Comparing to pristine particles including GO and TiO2, TiO2-GO could more significantly improve the resistance of corrosion with the help of IPTMS. Furthermore, the anti-corrosion mechanism of TiO2-GO in epoxy was tentatively proposed and discussed.