Smart inhibition action of layered double hydroxide nanocontainers in zinc-rich epoxy coating for active corrosion protection of carbon steel substrate

In this study, inhibitor-intercalated layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanocontainers were dispersed in zinc-rich epoxy (ZRE) coating and were used for corrosion protection of carbon steel substrate. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potential-time measurement and salt spray fog testing were conducted to investigate the effect of LDH nanocontainers on protection performance of ZRE coating. It was observed that addition of LDH nanocontainers into ZRE coating resulted in potent corrosion inhibition of carbon steel substrate due to smart entrapment of the penetrating chloride anions and on demand release of corrosion inhibitor species. It was concluded that superior protection performance of the LDH-ZRE coating is due to combination of barrier effect, sacrificial cathodic protection and smart inhibition action. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.