A MODIFYING GO AND DOPING IT IN WATERBORNE ACRYLIC COATINGS TO ENHANCE THEIR MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE AND CORROSION PROTECTION

With the development of science and technology and the ever-increasing focus of the environmental protection, waterborne acrylic resin based coating has been commonly used in a wide range of applications due to its high flexibility and good UV resistance. Continuous attempts have been extensively carried out to improve its corrosion resistance and mechanical properties through doping of different nanomaterials. In this study, Functionalized Graphene Oxide (FGO) nanosheets covalently bonded to hydroxylated acrylic resin was introduced into the Hydroxyacrylic Acid Dispersion (HAD) matrix to enhance the performance. To study the effect of grafted hydroxylated acrylic resin on morphology and properties of GO nanosheets, the GO and FGO nanosheets have been systematically characterized with various testing methods, such as FTIR, field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, UV–vis analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The morphology, physical–mechanical, and anti-corrosion properties of the HAD coatings doped with GO and FGO nanosheets have been compared. The results confirmed that FGO’s dispersion behavior in the HAD matrix has been improved after modifification with the hydroxylated acrylic resin, and the interfacial bonds between the HAD-FGO nanosheets have been significantly enhanced.