Achieving superior erosion resistance for the basalt fibers reinforced epoxy powder coating via constructing L-Cys@Cu MOF interfacial layer

The harsh service environment in the splash zone poses serious challenges for the long-term durability of steel pipe piles. The basalt fibers (BF) reinforced-composite coatings have acquired great attention in various fields such as offshore wind power equipment and construction industry due to the high strength and chemical stability. However, the service life of BF reinforced-composite coatings is greatly restricted by poor interfacial compatibility between BFs and polymer resin. In this work, we fabricated a BF reinforced epoxy powder composite coating with excellent erosion resistance by constructing L-Cys@Cu MOF on BFs. The interfacial shear strength value between MBF and EP was 49.66 % larger than that of BF. Contrasted to EP, the adhesion strength between 2.5 %MBF/EP coating and the steel substrate was 79.65 MPa, which was increased by 24.67 %. Interestingly, the mass and volume loss of 2.5 %MBF/EP coating was decreased by 22.77 % and 21.16 %, respectively, compared with 2.5 %CBF/EP coating. These results demonstrate the broader applicability of BF in composite materials, arising from the synergistic effect of mechanical interlocking between MBF and EP and the formation of cross-linking network between L-Cys@Cu MOF and EP. This work provides a novel perspective for the development of BF reinforced-composite coatings with long-term erosion resistance.