Processing and Development of Corrosion Resistance Surface-Active Thin Film Nanocellulose Composite Coatings for Mild Steel Protection

Mild steels are applied in the construction of oil platforms and pipelines due to their ease of formability, machinability, good mechanical properties, availability and low cost. However, they are still susceptible to corrosion attack and the cost implication of addressing failed components resulting from corrosion are enormous. The aim of this research was to deposit zinc–zinc oxide–nanocellulose (Zn–20gZnO– x C n ) coatings on mild steel substrates for enhanced corrosion resistance. Corrosion study of the deposited coatings were done by weight loss corrosion method. X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron and optical microscopes were used to examine the surface morphologies and phase evolutions of the deposited coatings. The results showed that all the coatings recorded lower corrosion rates values than that of the substrate (mild steel) sample, with value 5.4392 mm/yr. Sample C3 (Zn–20gZnO–15gC n ) had the lowest corrosion rate of 0.8201 mm/yr, translating to a protection efficiency of 85% on the substrate. Sample B1 (Zn–20gZnO–0gC n ), gave the highest corrosion rate values among the coatings, of 2.0738 mm/yr., with protection efficiency values of 62% on the substrate. The study showed that the coatings were able to mitigate the corrosion attack from the media, thereby lowering the corrosion rates of the mild steel substrate.