USO POTENCIAL DE RECUBRIMIENTOS HÍBRIDOS SOL-GEL COMO ALTERNATIVA PARA LA PROTECCIÓN CONTRA LA CORROSIÓN DE ALEACIONES LIGERAS

The aim of this work was to show the preliminary results related to the synthesis of hybrid sol-gel coatings for corrosion protection of the commercial AZ31 and AZ91D magnesium alloys, and the AA2124-T4 and AA2050-T8 aluminium alloys. For this purpose, hybrid sols were prepared from a mixture of the inorganic precursor tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and the organics precursors glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane (GPTMS) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). Two experimental variables were fixed: the molar ratio APTES:GPTMS (from 0,15:1 to 0,25:1) and the aging time (from 10 to 60 minutes). Later, sol-gel coatings were obtained by deposition of these sols following the dip-coating route. Coatings were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) while Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and rheological tests were used to analyze the sol properties. On the other hand, corrosion resistance was evaluated by potentiodynamic anodic polarization test in aerated 0.1 M NaCl solution. The experimental results showed that, under some specific experimental conditions, it was possible to obtain homogeneous and uniform coatings with excellent corrosion resistance with regard to the parent alloy. The precursor APTES was confirmed as a key variable during the gelation process. Its properties substantially modified the sol viscosity, affecting the morphological features and the corrosion protection of the coatings.