Polyaniline encapsulated α-zirconium phosphate nanosheet for enforcing anticorrosion performance of epoxy coating

Polyaniline (PANI) encapsulated α-zirconium phosphate (α-ZrP) nanocomposites (PANI/α-ZrP) were prepared by in situ oxidative polymerization and used as anticorrosive filler in epoxy coatings. Water absorption test and electrochemical measurements in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution were conducted to assess the barrier properties and anticorrosion performances of different coating systems. PANI/α-ZrP composite epoxy coating showed remarkably enhanced corrosion resistance comparing to neat epoxy coating because of “maze effect” from α-ZrP and “passivation effect” from PANI. The α-ZrP nanosheets could be completely encapsulated by PANI with appropriate PANI/α-ZrP mass ratio, and the resulting nanocomposite exhibited optimal corrosion protection properties.