Synthesis and advances of smart heteroatom-sited coatings for anticorrosion applications

•Novel coating material for bore water, soil, and bacterial corrosion.•A microphotograph of steel substrate immersed in bore water and soil reveals the anticorrosion behavior.•Early-stage recognition of corrosion with highly pigmented metal oxides.•Highest anticorrosive property was shown by epoxy-CoO nanomaterial. Recently, there has been a significant interest in nanocomposites with porous structure, excellent thermal stability, and stiffness. The corrosion resistance behavior of epoxy resin-based Ni and Co metal oxides nanocomposite is reported here. The anti-corrosion abilities of mild steel substrates were investigated in different media like bore water, soil, and bacteria. Over 120 days, the inhibitory efficiency of the target compound was tested. The corrosion process was studied under a UV chamber at different wavelengths at 254 nm, 365 nm, and at visible region respectively. The bacterial study was carried out against the gram (+) and gram (-) on the mild steel specimen against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Morphological studies show the effective nanocomposite encapsulation in epoxy resin. The powder XRD method divulges the structure, and the dispersity of the epoxy layer as projected by scanning electron microscopy. Anti-corrosion properties were determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization methods. The results display nano CoO has improved anti-corrosion characteristics compared to nano NiO. The metal nano coating effectively protects mild steel due to barrier properties towards ions responsible for rusting, demonstrating its appropriateness as a next-generation anti-corrosive coating for a sustainable environment. [Display omitted]