Amino-functionalized Ti3C2Tx with anti-corrosive/wear function for waterborne epoxy coating

Abstract

Two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx flakes have great application potential in various areas due to their optical, electronic, electrochemical and mechanical properties, but their anti-corrosion and wear-resistance performance were not well understood. The difficulties in achieving good dispersity and interface interaction of inorganic additives in organic coatings hinder the incorporation of Ti3C2Tx into the epoxy coating. Here, few-layered Ti3C2Tx sheets with amino-functionalization were prepared, and as reinforced-additives were added into the waterborne epoxy coating. Anti-corrosion and tribological properties of as-prepared composite coatings were investigated in detail. The results reveal that the composite coating with 0.5 wt.% amino-functionalized Ti3C2Tx sheets shows excellent corrosion protection (the lowest frequency impedance was 3.12 × 109 Ω cm2) and wear resistance (wear rate was reduced by 72.74%). The greatly improving performance of composite coatings mainly depends on: (a) good dispersity and compatibility of amino-functionalized Ti3C2Tx in organic matrix, (b) high adhesion strength between coating and metal substrate and (c) the intrinsic properties of Ti3C2Tx sheets. The work provides a good path for applications of MXene as multifunctional additives.