Investigating the role of silane treatment in enhancing the anti-corrosion properties of MoS2 particle-embedded epoxy coatings on steel

In the present study, chemical surface treatment was performed on Molybdenum (IV) disulfide (MoS2) nanoparticles with two coupling agents; amino silane ((3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane) and epoxy silane ((3-Glycidyloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane), and the effect of these nanoparticle embedment into epoxy coating was evaluated. Chemical structure of the nanoparticles was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) confirms that 21 wt% of surface-treated MoS2 nanoparticles (MoS2 + AS) is amino silane, but the surface treatment with epoxy silane has not been very effective. The morphology and physical structure of nanoparticles were evaluated by Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), which respectively shows that the surface treatment with epoxy silane cannot interfere the agglomeration of MoS2 nanosheets. The exceptional corrosion resistance of the coating containing 2 wt% of MoS2 + AS nanoparticles has been verified using both EIS and salt spray measurements. Furthermore, it is anticipated that this remarkable performance will endure over time, as there was no substantial decline in the corrosion resistance of the coating even after duration of 21 days with a recorded Rp value of 1.19 × 108 Ω·cm2.