Electrochemical study of the corrosion inhibition ability of smart coatings applied on AA2024

Smart epoxy coatings modified with different additives were applied on AA2024. The following three different systems were studied: a reference consisting of an epoxy coating containing chromate active pigments and two smart coatings modified with containers loaded with corrosion inhibitor-layered double hydroxides filled with mercaptobenzothiazole and tubular halloysites (HS) filled with 8-hydroxyquinoline. The thickness of the coatings was determined by scanning electron microscopy. The barrier properties and the average corrosion resistance were assessed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The long-term corrosion repair ability of the various coatings was confirmed by EIS measurements carried for a period of 3 weeks in scratched samples. The ability of the smart additives to inhibit corrosion over defects with different sizes and geometry was studied at the microscale by using localized impedance spectroscopy (LEIS) and the scanning vibrating electrode technique. The results demonstrate that the additives provide effective corrosion inhibition on defects of various sizes. Moreover, the LEIS measurements give some important highlights concerning the mechanisms and kinetics of inhibition of each system.