One-Step Preparation of Hyperbranched Polyether Functionalized Graphene Oxide for Improved Corrosion Resistance of Epoxy Coatings

Abstract

In this paper, hyperbranched polyether functionalized graphene oxide (EHBPE-GO) was prepared by a facile one-step method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and trans-mission electron microscopy (TEM) results confirmed the formation of EHBPE-GO. Then, EHBPE-GO was cured with phenolic amides at room temperature to prepare epoxy coatings. The corrosion resistance of epoxy coatings was investigated systematically by using electrochemical and traditional immersion methods. Results show that a small amount of EHBPE-GO (8 wt % of Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)) in epoxy coating achieves 50% higher improvement in acid-resistance than unmodified neat DGEBA resin. For the nanocomposite epoxy coating, the superior acid-resistance is attributed to the increased crosslink density and the impermeable 2D structure of EHBPE-GO. This work provides a facile strategy to develop the effective improved corrosion resistance nanofiller for epoxy coating.