UKHRUL, NOV 27: IIT Guwahati takes a progressive step towards longevity of structures in marine and high-salinity conditions as Researchers develop a corrosion-resistant epoxy coating for protecting steel structures.
The research has been published in the Advanced Engineering Materials journal in a paper co-authored by Prof. Chandan Das, Dept, of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, along with research scholar Dr. Anil Kumar.
The process of corrosion—weakening of metal surfaces occurs naturally when exposed to saltwater environments. Corrosion played a role in major industrial incidents as the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy and the 1992 Guadalajara explosion.
Despite barrier coatings used for corrosion protection, it appeared to be not as resistant, allowing salt and moisture to penetrate and damage the underlying metal.
This has proved to be a challenge to researchers worldwide who experimented on strengthening epoxy coating with individual or simple combinations of nanomaterials—ultra-small engineered particles.
The breakthrough came when researchers at IIT combined three materials in one coating system, reduced graphene oxide (RGO), zinc oxide (ZnO) and polyaniline (PANI) within a single expoxy coating corrosion protection.
The result showed improved performance with a more uniform barrier, stronger adhesion to the steel surface and a slower corrosion process.
“The incorporation of RGO-ZnO-PANI nanocomposite into epoxy coating offers a promising strategy for achieving long-term corrosion resistance in harsh marine environments. As the next step, we are working towards assessing the long-term durability, real-world performance, and life cycle impact of this coating,” stated Das.