Greatly enhanced corrosion/wear resistances of epoxy coating for Mg alloy through a synergistic effect between functionalized graphene and insulated blocking layer

The poor corrosion and wear resistances of Mg alloys seriously limit their potential applications in various industries.The conventional epoxy coating easily forms many intrinsic defects during the solidification process,which cannot provide sufficient protection.In the current study,we design a double-layer epoxy composite coating on Mg alloy with enhanced anti-corrosion/wear properties,via the spin-assisted assembly technique.The outer layer is functionalized graphene(FG)in waterborne epoxy resin(WEP)and the inner layer is Ce-based conversion(Ce)film.The FG sheets can be homogeneously dispersed within the epoxy matrix to fill the intrinsic defects and improve the barrier capability.The Ce film connects the outer layer with the substrate,showing the transition effect.The corrosion rate of Ce/WEP/FG composite coating is 2131 times lower than that of bare Mg alloy,and the wear rate is decreased by~90%.The improved corrosion resistance is attributed to the labyrinth effect(hindering the penetration of corrosive medium)and the obstruction of galvanic coupling behavior.The synergistic effect derived from the FG sheet and blocking layer exhibits great potential in realizing the improvement of multi-functional integration,which will open up a new avenue for the development of novel composite protection coatings of Mg alloys.

Graphene-calcium carbonate coating to improve the degradation resistance and mechanical integrity of a biodegradable implant

Biodegradable implants are critical for regenerative orthopaedic procedures,but they may suffer from too fast corrosion in human-body environment.This necessitates the synthesis of a suitable coating that may improve the corrosion resistance of these implants without compromising their mechanical integrity.In this study,an AZ91 magnesium alloy,as a representative for a biodegradable Mg implant material,was modified with a thin reduced graphene oxide(RGO)-calcium carbonate(CaCO_(3))composite coating.Detailed analytical and in-vitro electrochemical characterization reveals that this coating significantly improves the corrosion resistance and mechanical integrity,and thus has the potential to greatly extend the related application field.

Effects of Coal Rank and High Organic Sulfur on the Structure and Optical Properties of Coal-based Graphene Quantum Dots

Coal-based graphene quantum dots(GQDs) were successfully produced via a one-step chemical synthesis from six different coal ranks, from which two superhigh organic sulfur(SHOS) coals were selected as natural S-doped carbon sources for the preparation of S-doped GQDs. The effects of coal properties on coal-based GQDs were analyzed by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy, and fluorescence emission spectra. It was shown that all coal samples can be used to prepare GQDs, which emit bluegreen and blue fluorescence under ultraviolet light. Anthracite-based GQDs have a hexagonal crystal structure without defects, the largest size, and densely arranged carbon rings in their lamellae; the highrank bituminous coal-based GQDs are relatively reduced in size, with their hexagonal crystal structure being only faintly visible; the low-rank bituminous coal-based GQDs are the smallest, with sparse lattice fringes and visible internal defects. As the metamorphism of raw coals increases, the yield decreases and the fluorescence quantum yield(QY) initially increases and then decreases. Additionally, the surface of GQDs that were prepared using high-rank SHOS coal(high-rank bituminous coal) preserves rich sulfur content even after strong oxidation, which effectively adjusts the bandgap and improves the fluorescence QY. Thus, high-rank bituminous coal with SHOS content can be used as a natural S-doped carbon source to prepare S-doped GQDs, extending the clean utilization of low-grade coal.

The role of graphene coating on cordierite-supported Pd monolithic catalysts for low-temperature combustion of toluene

In the present work,a Pd/graphene/cordierite(Pd/Gr/Cor)composite was prepared as a monolithic catalyst for low-temperature combustion of toluene.We mainly focused on understanding the role of graphene coating through investigation of catalytic performance and adsorption behavior of the composite.Compared with the traditional Pd/Cor catalyst without graphene coating,Pd/Gr/Cor catalyst delivered much higher activity and stability for toluene catalytic combustion in both dry and moist conditions.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and hydrophobic characterizations indicated that graphene coating can considerably improve the dispersity of Pd nanoparticles and enhance the hydrophobicity of the cordierite support.The adsorption behavior of the above two catalysts,including adsorption isothermal,adsorption kinetics,and adsorption thermodynamics were carefully investigated.The simulation results indicated that a large amount of toluene was adsorbed on graphene surface through relatively weak interaction,whereas only a relatively small amount of toluene was adsorbed on Pd surface with strong affinity.The adsorption thermal calculation indicated that the adsorption of toluene on graphene was a process with reduced entropy,indicating highly-ordered assembly of toluene molecular on graphene.It is the significant concentration and affinity gap between graphene and Pd that ensures a simultaneously and rapid transfer of toluene during the reaction process.

Fast Evaluation of Degradation Degree of Organic Coatings by Analyzing Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Data

The degradation coefficient is proposed to evaluate the degradation degree of organic coatings by directly anaIyzing the Bode plots of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） data. This paper investigated the degradation of phenolic epoxy coating/tinplate system by EIS and the degradation coefficient value, which correlates well with the results of breakpoint frequency and variation of phase angle at 10 Hz. Furthermore, the degradation process was confirmed by scanning electron microscope （SEM） and scanning probe microscopy （SPM）. It is concluded that degradation coefficient can be used for the fast evaluation of degradation degree of organic coatings in practical appli- cations.

Corrosion Protection of AM50 Magnesium Alloy by Nafion/DMSO Organic Coatings

The effectiveness of the corrosion protection of Nafion/Dimethysulfoxid （DMSO） organic coatings for AM50 magnesium alloy prepared by simple immersion and heat treatment was investigated. Its corrosion resistance and morphologies of the Nafion/DMSO organic coatings were studied by electrochemical corrosion testing and optical microscopy. The results show that Nafion/DMSO organic coatings can improve the corrosion resistance of AM50 magnesium alloy effectively. Also, the corrosion resistance increases with the surface density of the organic coatings.

Scalable and fast fabrication of graphene integrated micro-supercapacitors with remarkable volumetric capacitance and flexibility through continuous centrifugal coating

Microscale electrochemical energy storage devices,e.g., micro-supercapacitors(MSCs),possessing tailored performance and diversified form factors of lightweight,miniaturization,flexibility and exceptional integration are highly necessary for the smart power sources-unitized electronics.Despite the great progress,the fabrication of MSCs combining high integration with high volumetric performance remains largely unsolved.Herein,we develop a simple,fast and scalable strategy to fabricate graphene based highly integrated MSCs by a new effective continuous centrifugal coating technique.Notably,the resulting highly conductive graphene films can act as not only patterned microelectrodes but also metal-free current collectors and interconnects,endowing modular MSCs with high integrity,remarkable flexibility,tailored voltage and capacitance output,and outstanding performance uniformity.More importantly,the strong centrifugal force and shear force generated in continuous centrifugal coating process lead to graphene films with high alignment,compactness and packing density,contributing to excellent volumetric capacitance of ~31.8 F cm^(-3) and volumetric energy density of ~2.8 mWh cm^(-3),exceeding most reported integrated MSCs.Therefore,our work paves a novel way for simple and scalable fabrication of integrated MSCs and offers promising opportunities as standalone microscale power sources for new-generation electronics.

Failure behavior of protective organic coatings under corrosive conditions

Recent research activities on the formation of micro-defects and porosity in organic coatings were reviewed. The mechanisms of aggressive ionic conduction through organic coatings were analyzed. The micro-mechanisms for the failure behavior of coatings under corrosive environments were discussed in detail. These mechanisms included blistering (i. e. osmotic blistering, anodic blistering and cathodic blistering) in the coating, wet-adhesion loss at the substrate/coating interface, cathodic delamination of coating from the substrate. Based on these researches, it was found that the failure behavior of organic coatings is closely related to the micro-defects in coatings, regardless of the failure mode. Additionally, the general failure mode of a coating system was proposed to interpret the failure behavior of organic in corrosion environments. The topics discussed can provide some insights into the development of a methodology for designing fail-safe coating systems.

One-step electrodeposition to fabricate robust superhydrophobic silver/graphene coatings with excellent stability

A facile method was proposed to prepare stretchable silver-based composite coatings with excellent conductivity and stability for flexible electronics.Silver coating was firstly deposited on thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU)elastomer rubber surface via two-component spraying technique,then the superhydrophobic surface was obtained by one-step electrodeposition of cerium compounds(CeM)and graphene nanosheets(GNS)to produce Ag/CeM/GNS composite coatings.The obtained Ag/CeM/GNS composite coatings maintained high conductivity after experiencing bending cycles and stretching cycles.Furthermore,the as-prepared Ag/CeM/GNS composite coatings showed excellent self-cleaning and anti-fouling properties,and the corrosion resistance has improved significantly compared to the original Ag coating.In addition,the Ag/CeM/GNS composite coatings could drive the circuit normally in the states of tensile,bending and twisting deformation,showing excellent mechanical stability and applicability.As a result,it is believed that the prepared Ag/CeM/GNS composite coatings with excellent conductivity and stability have promising applications for flexible electronics in harsh conditions.

Curing Kinetics, Mechanical Properties and Thermal Stability of Epoxy/Graphene Nanoplatelets(GNPs) Powder Coatings

Epoxy/graphene nanoplatelets（GNPs） powder coatings were fabricated using ultrasonic predispersion of GNPs and melt-blend extrusion method. The isothermal curing kinetics of epoxy/GNPs powder coating were monitored by means of real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR） with a heating cell. The mechanical properties of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings had been investigated, by evaluating their fracture surfaces with field-emission scanning electron microscopy（FE-SEM） after three-point-bending tests. The thermal stability of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings was studied by thermo-gravimetric analysis（TGA）. The isothermal curing kinetics result showed that the GNPs would not affect the autocatalytic reaction mechanism, but the loading of GNPs below 1.0 wt % additive played a prompting role in the curing of the epoxy/GNPs powder coatings. The fracture strain, fracture toughness and impact resistance of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings increased dramatically at low levels of GNPs loading（1 wt %）, indicating that the GNPs could improve the toughness of the epoxy/GNPs powder coatings. Furthermore, from FE-SEM studies of the fracture surfaces, the possible toughening mechanisms of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings were proposed. TGA result showed that the incorporation of GNPs improved the thermal stability of the cured coatings. Hence, the GNPs modified epoxy can be an efficient approach to toughen epoxy powder coating along with improving their thermal stability.

Influence of graphene on the anti-corrosion performance of epoxy-based coatings

In this work, graphene-modified epoxy-based anti-corrosion coatings were prepared and the influence of graphene on the anti-corrosion performance of the epoxy-based coatings was investigated with water contact angle test ,chemical solution immersion test, and electrochemical test. The water contact angle and chemical solution resistance of the epoxy-based coatings were improved with an increase in graphene content from 0 to 0.4%. These results prove that addition of graphene can significantly improve the hydrophobicity and impermeability of epoxy- based coatings. However, when the graphene content was increased to 0.5%, the performance of the epoxy-based coatings decreased because of graphene aggregation. Tafel polarization results show that graphene addition can significantly reduce the corrosion current density and corrosion potential of epoxy-based coatings, which enhance their anti-corrosion performance.

Effect of Organic Coating Corrosion Inhibitor on Protection of Reinforced Mortar

Corrosion of reinforced concrete is the most important cause of concrete structure deterioration. In the present study, the protective effect of the reinforcement mortars against corrosion is examined. In particular, the chloride penetration resistance on reinforced cement mortars using organic coating as additive containing was studied. The aforementioned additive consists of corrosion inhibitor for protection of steel rebars against pitting corrosion. For the experimental procedure, four (4) different types of reinforced mortars were prepared. The corrosion protection of the additive was evaluated by electrochemical methods, (linear polarization resistance, Half-cell Potential Resistance and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy). In addition, the mass loss of steel rebars against time of partially immersed in NaCl solution was carried out in the lab. The experimental results showed that in all examined cases the organic coating provides anticorrosion protection on steel rebars against chlorides.

Nafion/polypyrrole and Nafion/DMSO Organic Coatings for Magnesium Protection

Nafion/polypyrrole and Nafion/Dimethysulfoxid （DMSO） organic coatings were prepared on the surface of pure magnesium by simple immersion and heat treatment. The morphologies and corrosion resistance of the organic coatings were investigated by using optical microscopy and electrochemical corrosion testing, respectively. It is shown that Nafion/polypyrrole organic coatings resulted in the corrosion resistance of magnesium decreasing; while Nafion/DMSO organic coatings can effectively improve the corrosion resistance of magnesium. Also, the corrosion resistance increased with the thickness of the Nafion/DMSO organic coating increased.

Effect of Dip Coating Process on the Performance of Graphene/Spandex Yarn Strain Sensor

This study presented the effect of the concentration of graphene in the dispersion,the type of polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)and the surfactant on the sensing properties of dip-coated graphene/spandex yarns as resistance strain sensors.Experimental results showed that the addition of styrene-acrylic emulsion surfactant facilitates the dispersion of graphene and then improves the conductivity and sensing performance,and the sensitivity is up to 91.The conductivity and sensing properties of graphene/spandex yarns at 2%graphene dispersion are better than those at 1%graphene dispersion.When the conductive yarn treated by 2%graphene dispersion is stretched to 50%,the sensitivity is up to 29,the repeatability is good,and the hysteresis is low.In terms of the binding agent,PVA as a high alcoholysis and large polymerization decreases the sensitivity,repeatability as well as the hysteresis.

Lifetime prediction and failure analysis of organic coatings by EIS

Organic coatings are widely used to control the corrosion of steel structure. The anticorrosive property of these coatings depends on their barrier properties, making a separation between the corrosive medium and the substrate. But unavoidable completely small pores, cracks and other defects in organic coatings may cause ions, water, gases, and other corrosive species penetrate and distribute in the coatings, causing accumulation and swelling of coatings, so leading to the degradation of coatings. In addition, water affects the permeation of oxygen and other corrosive medium, consequently the presence of such substances at coating-metal interface promotes corrosion of metal substrate. So the absorbability of the coatings to water may be one of the most important factors in undercoating corrosion. In recent years, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been established and frequently used as a non-destructive testing method for assessing the performance of organic coatings, especially for the determination of the water content in organic coatings, since the capacitance of the coatings is sensitive to the penetration of water. So from EIS it can extract a wealth of information on the electrochemical corrosion of coated steels, especially, it can be utilized to assess organic coatings used under particular surroundings. The principle, methods and application of EIS on evaluating life-span and analyzing failure mechanism of organic coatings are also introduced briefly. Combining other analysis techniques such as XRD, SEM and FTIR with electrochemical technique, it will blaze a way in studying degradation mechanism of organic coatings and estimating their lifetime.

Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Surface Coating Facilities: Characterization of Facilities, Estimation of Emission Rates, and Dispersion Modeling of Off-Site Impacts

Surface coating facilities are major sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in urban areas. These VOCs can contribute to ground-level ozone formation, and many are hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), including xylene, ethylbenzene, and toluene. This project was conducted in order to provide information for updating the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), USA, permit by rule for Surface Coating Facilities. Project objectives were: 1) To develop a database of information regarding surface coating facilities in Texas;2) To estimate maximum emission rates for various VOC species from surface coating facilities in Texas;3) To conduct dispersion modeling to estimate off-site impacts from surface coating facilities. The database was developed using 286 TCEQ permit files authorizing surface coating facilities in Texas during 2006 and 2007. The database was designed to include information important for estimating emission rates, and for using as inputs to the dispersion model. Hourly and annual emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM), and exempt solvents (ES) were calculated for each permitted entity/ company in the database, according to equations given by TCEQ. Dispersion modeling was then conducted for 3 facility configurations (worst-case stack height, good practice stack height, and fugitive emissions), for urban and rural dispersion parameters, for 8-hour and 24-hour operating scenarios, and for 1-hour, 24-hour, and annual averaging times, for a total of 36 scenarios. The highest modeled concentrations were for the worst-case stack height, rural dispersion parameters, 24-hour operation scenario, and 1-hour averaging time. 108 specific chemical species, which are components of surface coatings, were identified as candidates for further health impacts review.

Organic-magnesium complex conversion coating on AZ91D magnesium alloy

An organic-magnesium complex conversion(OMCC)coating on AZ91D magnesium alloy was obtained by treating in a solution containing organic compounds.SEM,FESEM and XPS were used to examine the surface morphology,thickness and structure of the conversion coatings.The results show that the continuous and uniform conversion coating is deposited on AZ91D alloy and the main component of the coatings is organic compound containing benzene ring,which forms a chemical bond with magnesium.The polarization measurement and salt spray test show that the corrosion resistance of the conversion coating is much higher than that of traditional chromate conversion coating.

Application of graphene vertical field effect to regulation of organic light-emitting transistors

The luminescence intensity regulation of organic light-emitting transistor(OLED)device can be achieved effectively by the combination of graphene vertical field effect transistor(GVFET)and OLED.In this paper,we fabricate and characterize the graphene vertical field-effect transistor with gate dielectric of ion-gel film,confirming that its current switching ratio reaches up to 102.Because of the property of high light transmittance in ion-gel film,the OLED device prepared with graphene/PEDOT:PSS as composite anode exhibits good optical properties.We also prepare the graphene vertical organic light-emitting field effect transistor(GVOLEFET)by the combination of GVFET and graphene OLED,analyzing its electrical and optical properties,and confirming that the luminescence intensity can be significantly changed by regulating the gate voltage.

Anticorrosive Coatings Based on Few-Layer Graphene

In this paper the anticorrosive properties of the few-layer graphene nanostructures were investigated. On the surface ofcopper and nickel plates the few-layer graphene nanostructures were formed using the CVD （chemical vapor deposition） method.After that, these plates were exposed to the temperature in the air atmosphere. The results of elemental analysis, performed by theEDS （energy dispersive spectroscopy） method showed that the few-layer graphene coated metal plates proved to be more resistant tooxidation than bare metal plates. In addition, we presented computer models and theoretical calculations of the studied systems,performed by the DFT （density functional theory） and MD （molecular dynamics） methods. These results combined with experimentaldata show the high effectiveness of the protective action of the few-layer graphene against metal corrosion.

Ground-based investigation of atomic oxygen effects on naked Ag and Ag with protective organic coatings

Protective behavior of organic coatings of alkyd, epoxy, urethane and siloxane applied to silver solar cell interconnects and erosion of Ag were investigated by exposure experiments to ground simulation atomic oxygen (AO). Evaluations of their protective properties were made through assessing their mass change characteristics, chemical and physical changes to AO attack. The specimens after exposure were analyzed with SEM/EDAX and XPS. The results indicated that the silver is heavily etched, some coatings such as epoxy, alkyd, urethane are seriously degraded or removed as volatile oxides and the morphology of coatings changed. It is evident that siloxane coatings have excellent properties for anti-AO attack. The erosion product consists of silicon dioxide layer of compact texture and is left on the surface to provide adequate protection from further attack by the energetic AO.