Synthesis And Characterization Of Tween 80-modified Hydrophobic Silica Coatings For Corrosion Protection Of Steel

Abstract

In The Present Study, Hydrophobic Silica Coatings Modified With Tween 80 Were Fabricated On Steel Substrates Using The Sol-gel Method And Evaluated For Their Structural, Surface, Thermal, Mechanical, And Anticorrosion Properties. Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) Was Used As The Silica Precursor, While Tween 80 Was Incorporated As A Modifying Agent. The Coatings Were Characterized By Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Water Contact Angle Measurements, Thermal Conductivity Measurements, Water-jet Impact Testing, And Potentiodynamic Polarization. FTIR Analysis Confirmed The Presence Of Characteristic Si-O-Si, Si-C, C-H, And Ester-group Vibrations Associated With The Modified Silica Network. SEM Observations Showed The Formation Of Porous, Spherical Microstructures, With Increased Porosity And Reduced Particle Size As The Tween 80 Concentration Increased. The Water Contact Angle Increased From 131 ± 2° For The Unmodified Coating To 148 ± 2° For The 0.3 MM Tween 80-modified Coating, With A Roll-off Angle Of Approximately 10°. The Thermal Conductivity Decreased From 0.071 To 0.017 W M−1 K−1 With Increasing Tween 80 Content. The Modified Coating Also Showed Good Resistance To Water-jet Impact. Potentiodynamic Polarization Measurements Demonstrated Improved Corrosion Protection, With The Corrosion Potential Shifting From -0.94 V For Pristine Steel To -0.66 V For The 0.3 MM Tween 80-modified Coating And A Substantial Reduction In Corrosion Current Density. Even After 10 Days Of Immersion In 3.5 Wt% NaCl Solution, The Modified Coating Retained Better Corrosion Resistance Than Pristine Steel. The Results Indicate That Tween 80-modified Silica Coatings Provide A Promising Combination Of Hydrophobicity, Mechanical Robustness, Low Thermal Conductivity, And Corrosion Protection For Steel Surfaces.

Keywords