Triple-synergistic heterostructure nanocomposite achieving superior UV stability, stimuli-responsive protection, and corrosion resistance in marine coating

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and coupled environmental degradation cause premature failure of marine coatings, thereby exacerbating metal corrosion processes. Developing coatings that integrate both weather resistance and durability remains a significant yet challenging endeavor. Herein, we report a multifunctional intelligent coating (GO-HHU-T-EP) through the triple synergistic incorporation of graphene oxide (GO), cerium-based metal-organic framework (HHU), and Tinuvin 1130 (T). The GO-HHU-T heterostructure is synthesized via a facile and sustainable strategy. Density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations reveal that the GO-HHU-T composite with excellent dispersibility significantly enhances the coating’s compactness. Given its UV absorption and radical scavenging mechanisms, GO-HHU-T-EP coating maintains structural integrity with 95.9% and 80.9% retention of tensile strength and interfacial adhesion after UV aging. Furthermore, GO-HHU-T-EP coating confirms outstanding corrosion resistance ( Z f =0.01Hz 6.4 × 10 9 Ω cm 2 ) after 100-day immersion in aggressive solutions, demonstrating a 37647.1 times improvement over EP coating. The intelligent heterostructure enables active protective properties for the GO-HHU-T-EP coating via environmental stimulus responsiveness. Projected density of states (PDOS) indicates that the adsorption mechanism originates from strong hybridization interactions between Fe and Ce/O atom orbitals. This work presents a promising design strategy for next-generation marine coatings that integrate anti-UV aging, mechanical enhancement, active protection, and long-term durability.