Facile fabrication of superhydrophobic polyaniline structures and their anticorrosive properties

We report a simple approach for the preparation of superhydrophobic polyaniline (PANI) and its application for the corrosion protection coatings. First, PANI was synthesized conventionally by oxidative polymerization with APS. Subsequently, PANI with different wettability was obtained by modification with different surfactants. The surface modification of PANI with three different surfactants (sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, polyethylene glycol, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) provided excellent surface superhydrophobicity (water contact angle >150°). The structure and morphology of as-prepared PANI were characterized with Fourier transform infrared, Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Scanning electron microscopy. Corrosion protection performance of PANI with different wettability was evaluated in 3.5% NaCl electrolyte using Tafel polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results indicated that various superhydrophobic PANI coatings have better anticorrosion performance as compared to the hydrophilic PANI. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 44248.