A new synergetic system based on triboelectric nanogenerator and corrosion inhibitor for enhanced anticorrosion performance

A new synergetic anticorrosion system was constructed via combining a self-powered cathodic protection based on triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and a green corrosion inhibitor of zinc gluconate (ZnG). Wind-driven TENG with a sandwich-like structure was designed, exhibiting high output performance with the peak values of short circuit current, output voltage and corresponding power reaching about 155 μA, 402 V and 13.5 mW, respectively, under a wind speed of 10 m/s. With the assistance of TENG, the migration of corrosion inhibitor can be accelerated and the formation of the protective layer becomes faster due to the driving force of electric field. The shielding effect of protective layer in turn improves the cathodic protection of TENG. The immersion experiment and electrochemical measurements including Tafel polarization curves and EIS were taken to evaluate the performance of synergetic anticorrosion system. FESEM and EDS measurements were performed to analyze the morphology and composition of the protective layer and confirm the mechanism of synergetic anticorrosion. This work expands the application of TENG in the anticorrosion field and proposes a new thought of synergetic anticorrosion method.