Corrosion mitigation of carbon steel in acidic and salty solutions using electrophoretically deposited graphene coatings

Abstract

In the modern metal finishing industry, corrosion protection plays a critical role, with many coatings created to prevent this phenomenon (corrosion) and protect the metals. Nano-coating has of late been used to develop corrosion-resistant metal composites. Recently, layers of graphene-based materials with extraordinary properties have been successfully manufactured and applied through electrophoretic deposition (EPD). This article summarizes work altering the graphene oxide (GO) content, which was prepared using an adapted Hummers' method and then the simultaneous reduction of the GO suspension by the EPD method into graphene nano-coating on carbon steel. Different parameters were optimized, namely applied voltage, deposition time, and GO concentration. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the coatings. The corrosion resistance of these coatings was measured by electrochemical polarization in aqueous solutions under accelerated corrosion conditions. The results show not only that EPD is a simple technique that allows creating a graphene coat on carbon steel from GO suspension, but also that it forms a graphene nano-coating which provides significant protection against corrosion of steel in acidic and salty solutions.