Robust alkyd/exfoliated graphene oxide nanocomposite as a surface coating

Design of advanced nanostructured coatings with ecofriendly character and highly branched structure has been given a particular attention. In this work, we developed a novel robust alkyd/exfoliated graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets composite coating via solution casting. Alkyd matrix with hyperbranched moiety was developed via polyesterification of sunflower oil and polyester. Hyperbranched polyester was facilely synthesized via A(2) and B-3 technique. Exfoliated GO with 0.5-2 nm sheet thickness was successfully prepared using a modified Hummer's technique. Alkyd/GO composite paint was dried using auto-oxidative drying. Designing alkyd/exfoliated GO sheets with superior physico-mechanical properties exhibit high levels of durability and corrosion resistance for coating application. The influences of dispersing various GO nanosheet percentages in the synthesized alkyd were studied. Water contact angle measurements were used to assess the surface properties, while the salt spray test in 5% NaCl was performed to investigate the corrosion protection characteristics. The robustness of nano coatings were investigated mechanically using impact, bending, crosshatch and abrasion experiments and thermally using the thermal gravimetric analysis. Well dispersed exfoliated GO nanofillers up to 0.5 wt. % achieved compatibility and superiority in reinforcing the mechanical and anti-corrosive properties of alkyd nanocoatings. The modeled coatings possess numerous advantages, such as simple preparation, cost-savings, ecofriendly construction, robustness, and durability.