Difunctional Silicon Dioxide Combined with Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite to Enhance the Anticorrosion Performance of Epoxy Coatings

The nanocomposite BTA-SiO2-GO was fabricated for the purpose of metal corrosion protection. Herein, the BTA-loaded mesoporous silica nanocontainers were prepared through a facile one-step synthetic method. Subsequently, graphene oxide (GO) was combined with the resultant BTA-SiO2 compound because GO had a superior barrier property and impermeability. We must note that the double functional groups exist on SiO2. Benzotriazole (BTA), as an inhibitor, can be loaded into the nanocontainer and GO can also be modified by it, resulting in excellent dispersion in epoxy coatings, which were conducive to enhancing its anticorrosion performance. In this way, the nanocomposite endows the coating system with both self-healing and physical barrier abilities. The EIS results indicated that the impedance value of the BTA-SiO2-GO composite coatings was up to 1.2 x 109 omega cm2, which indicated excellent corrosion resistant properties.