(680f) High Performance Conducting Polymer Coatings for Corrosion Protection

Conducting polymer coatings were electrochemically synthesized on different metal surfaces, i.e., carbon steel, using different sulfonic acids as reaction media, including sulfuric acid (SA), (±) camphor sulfonic acid (CSA), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) etc. The effect of acidic dopants on passivation of metal surface was investigated and compared with morphology and corrosion protection performance of the coating produced. The types of the dopants used were significantly affecting the protection efficiency of the coating against chloride ion attack on the metal surface. The corrosion performance depends on size and alignment of dopant in the polymer backbone. Some dopants have large aromatic rings that may stack together to form a lamellar sheet-like barrier to corrosive ions, thus making them appropriate dopants for the polymer coating in suppressing the corrosion at significant level. Further, adhesion performance was enhanced by adding long chain carboxylic acids directly in the reaction system.