The use of montmorillonite organoclay in preparation of UV-cured DGBA epoxy anticorrosive coatings

In this study, montmorillonite organoclay (OMMT) at various concentrations were tested as nanofillers in preparation of UV-cured DGEBA epoxy anticorrosive coatings and applied on carbon steel substrates. The effect of incorporating different compositions of OMMT in UV-cured Araldite 506 coatings on the aqueous corrosion resistance of carbon steel in 5 wt-% aqueous NaCl electrolyte was evaluated. Analysis showed that the OMMT was homogenously dispersed in the polymer matrix. The result of X-ray diffraction showed that a certain degree of intercalation occurred for the OMMT in the polymer matrix. The OMMT addition affects the UV cured of the Araldite 506, as evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The anticorrosive properties were evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy at various exposure periods. Coatings with 3 wt-% OMMT possessed the best corrosion performance among the coating specimens. In fact, the NC3 coating provided corrosion protection properties even after a long exposure to NaCl solution.