Demonstration Of A Nanomaterial-Modified Primer For Use In Corrosion-Inhibiting Coating Systems

Abstract : Above-ground steel fuel tanks, some as large as 1 million gallons, are the main fuel supply for central energy plants and aviation sup-port throughout the Department of Defense (DoD). These tanks and their associated pipelines are aging and many need remediation before leaks or catastrophic failures occur. This project evaluated an emerging coating technology for steel tanks and implemented the technology at Fort Bragg, NC, on a fuel oil storage tank. For conventional zinc-rich primer to be effective, the metallic zinc dust pigment particles must be heavily loaded in the coating bind-er (65?95%) so that zinc particles are in contact with each other for electrical conductivity. This high loading can be problematic dur-ing coating application/removal due to zinc metal?s heavy weight and the traces of lead it normally contains. The coating used in this project is a technically advanced primer additive that uses galvanically inactive, electrically conductive, single-wall carbon nanotubes in conjunction with a much lower percentage of the metallic zinc powder (30%) to produce the enhanced galvanic reactivity with the steel substrate. The reduced content of the zinc pigment to resin/binder volume ratio also improves the coating integrity and application.