Recent advances of polyaniline composites in anticorrosive coatings: A review

Polyaniline (PANI), as a representative of conductive polymers, has been widely used in anti-corrosion coatings. However, polyaniline has some disadvantages, such as poor dispersion, poor mechanical properties, conductive deactivation and even accelerating metal corrosion, which limit the further application of PANI in anticorrosion industry. This article summarizes the setbacks encountered in the study of polyaniline coatings and proposes improved methods respectively, and provides suggestions for further research on polyaniline in the future. Meanwhile, polyaniline composites have outstanding performance in the fields of smart coatings, superhydrophobic coatings, antibacterial coatings, electromagnetic interference shielding coatings, and fire-resistant coatings in the past two decades. Herein, we summarize the research ideas, preparation methods and corresponding optimization measures of coatings in different fields, and provide guidance for the further application of polyaniline in anti-corrosion coatings.