Effect of Plasma Surface Pretreatment on Ce3+-Doped GPTMS-ZrO2 Self-Healing Coatings on Aluminum Alloy

Abstract

A hybrid sol synthesized from an acid-catalyzed hydrolysis and condensation reaction of 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and zirconium n-propoxide was used as a matrix nanocomposite sol. To this sol, 0.01 M Ce3+ was added as an inhibitor to provide a self-healing coating system. The effect of an atmospheric air plasma surface pretreatment of aluminum alloy substrates prior to coating deposition of Ce3+-doped/undoped GPTMS-ZrO2 sol was studied with respect to corrosion protection. Coatings were generated by a dip coating technique employing a withdrawal speed of 5 mm/s and thermally cured at 130° C for 1 h. The coated Al surfaces were characterized using potentiodynamic polarization studies and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. They were also subjected to accelerated corrosion testing using neutral salt spray test with 5% NaCl solution after creating an artificial scratch for more than 200 hours to assess the self-healing ability of coatings. It was observed that cerium (III) doping was effective for corrosion protection during long-term exposure to the electrolyte solution, and a plasma surface pretreatment of substrates prior to coating deposition of Ce3+-doped coatings improved the adhesion of coatings that provides enhanced corrosion protection along with self-healing ability exhibited in case of damages/scratches caused in the coating.