The use of urea-modified clay nanoparticles in epoxy paints to increase the corrosion resistance of carbon steel

One of the most common and economical methods to prevent the corrosion of steel structures is the application of organic coatings in the form of paints. The anticorrosive protection mechanism of these coatings typically include one or more of three basic groups namely, barrier-protection, inhibitor-protection and electrochemical protection. In this study urea-modified montmorillonite clay nanoparticles were added to a DGEBA epoxy resin and coatings applied to carbon steel sheets. The corrosion resistance of the coated samples was determined by electrochemical techniques (Open Circuit Potential, Linear Polarization and Impedance Spectroscopy) in 3.5 wt% NaCl solutions at room temperature. In order to characterize the coating, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used. A significant improvement in the corrosion protection properties of the epoxy coating was obtained by the incorporation of the urea-modified montmorillonite clay nanoparticles.