Poly(dopamine) assisted epoxy functionalization of hexagonal boron nitride for enhancement of epoxy resin anticorrosion performance

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is modified by a simple and green method based on self-oxidation of dopamine and epoxy groups functionalized silane (KH560) grafting. The surface modification and microstructure of h-BN are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The poly(dopamine) and epoxy groups not only increase the compatibility of the h-BN and enhance its interaction with epoxy matrix but also exhibit a remarkable superiority in enhancing the anticorrosion performance of epoxy coatings. In addition, the anticorrosion mechanisms of h-BN@PDA-KH560 are tentatively discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.