Synthesis and Characterization of Micaceous Iron Oxide/Polypyrrole Composite Pigments and Their Application for Corrosion Protection of Cold-Rolled Steel

Novel hybrid composite pigments consisting of micaceous iron oxide (MIOX) and polypyrrole (PPy) were synthesized using a chemical oxidative polymerization method and water as a reaction medium. Three different particle sizes (5, 10, and 30 μm) of MIOX, namely, MIOX5, MIOX10, and MIOX30, were used for the synthesis of MIOX/PPy composite pigments. The synthesized hybrid composite pigment was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for morphology, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) for elemental analysis, four-point probe conductivity, and conductive-atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) for conductivity studies. Density tests were also performed for the adhesion between MIOX and PPy. MIOX30/ PPy composite pigment-based coatings were formulated at 15, 25, and 35% pigment volume concentration (PVC) on cold-rolled steel and were exposed to salt spray test conditions according to ASTM B117. Corrosion performance was analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and anodic polarization. Equivalent circuit modeling of the EIS data was performed for the understanding of the corrosion processes on the coated substrate. A smaller drop in impedance was observed for MIOX30/PPy composite pigment-based coating at 100 days of salt spray exposure than MIOX30 pigment coating for the same duration of exposure.