Abstract
Marine-grade steel structures in offshore environments often corrode due to the aggressive environmental conditions. Many ceramic materials can cater to this demand. However, as per economic and ecological concerns, fly ash (FA), an industrial waste, can be another strong contender to control corrosion. Therefore, the present study developed composite coatings of fly ash with additives ((50-48) wt.% Al2O3; 0–2 wt% carbon nanotube (CNT)) onto marine-grade steel using a plasma spray technique to improve its corrosion resistance. The microstructure of 1 wt% CNT-reinforced alumina-FA (1CAF) coating was denser than 2 wt% CNT-reinforced alumina-FA (2CAF) coating due to the uniform dispersion of CNT and, thereby, uniform remelting of coating at localized sites. Consequently, the microhardness and adhesion strength of the 1CAF coating were improved by ∼14.66 % and ∼15.96 %, respectively. Further, Rietveld's analysis of coatings showed that quartz, being the primary phase for corrosion control, was 19.23 ± 0.87 %, 16.33 ± 1.04 % and 14.60 ± 1.87 % for alumina-FA (AF), 1CAF, and 2CAF, respectively. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the salt spray corrosion tests showed that 1CAF coating corrosion resistance was improved by ∼11.2 % compared to AF coating, even with a lower quartz phase (∼15.08 %) due to the densification of coating. This densification was due to the remelting by CNT to seal pores in the coating. Furthermore, for the same reason, an increase in coating resistance and charge transfer resistance of 1CAF coating by ∼80.9 % and ∼19.93 %, respectively, were seen in the equivalent circuit analysis, showing great promise in controlling interfacial corrosion. Further post-treatments like plasma or laser treatments can seal the coatings further to improve corrosion resistance. Therefore, such coatings are expected to withstand harsh, corrosive environments and are well-suited for marine applications.
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