Study of the corrosion protection efficiency of polypyrrole/metal oxide nanocomposites as additives in anticorrosion coating

Purpose Polypyrrole (PPy) and PPy/metal oxide nanocomposites were synthesized by oxidative polymerization process, and its corrosion protection ability was studied by immersion test and electrochemical corrosion studies in 1 per cent HCl and 3.5 per cent NaCl solution. Design/methodology/approach The prepared composites were loaded in acrylic resin and subsequently coated on a mild steel surface. The characterization of the polymer composites using FT-IR, UV-vis, XRD and FE-SEM with EDS analysis confirmed the interaction between PPy and metal oxide nanoparticles. The PPy nanoparticles were less protected on the mild steel, but the nanocomposite coating with metal oxide nanoparticles dramatically increased the corrosion resistance. Findings According to the corrosion protection ability of the coating, it was demonstrated that the acrylic resin coating composed of PPy/metal oxide nanocomposites was highly efficient in protecting the mild steel compared to the PPy nanoparticles. The highest protection efficiency was obtained by PPy/TiO2 nanocomposites with acrylic resin coating. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper consists of original, unpublished work which is not under consideration for publication elsewhere and that all the co-authors have approved the contents of this manuscript and submission.