Advanced poly(aniline-aminosalicylic acid) nanofiber functionalized with modified GO environment friendly coatings on steel surfaces with water resistance and long-term active anticorrosion performance

An advanced long-term active corrosion protection coating for carbon steel was proposed using poly(aniline-aminosalicylic acid) nanofiber (PACA-f) covalently linked with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB)-modified graphene oxide (CTGO). The proton-doped PACA-f functionalized CTGO (PACA-f/CTGO) exhibits excellent hydrophobicity and outstanding water resistance in waterborne epoxy polymer (WEP) coatings and better compatibility with WEP due to the formation of organic–inorganic networks. PACA-f/CTGO composite coating has a self-repairing function and shows superior corrosion resistance on Q235 steel. The surface-corrosion inhibition of PACA-f/CTGO on steel was investigated by molecular dynamics simulation(MD) which confirmed the chemical adsorption of the PACA-f/CTGO on the steel surface. The excellent water resistance and anticorrosion property of PACA-f/CTGO are ascribed to the high hydrophobicity of the hybrid coatings, the formation of intelligent passivation layer after the corrosive medium invading, and the barrier performance of CTGO.