IIT Guwahati’s advanced epoxy coating to protect steel structures in seawater

New Delhi, Nov 26 (IANS) Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed a corrosion-resistant epoxy coating for protecting steel structures, exposed to seawater and high-salinity environments.

Corrosion is a natural and gradual process that weakens metal surfaces and shortens the lifespan of essential structures, particularly those exposed to saltwater environments, such as offshore platforms, coastal bridges, port infrastructure, and marine pipelines.

Corrosion also causes environmental degradation and impacts human and aquatic life.

Although barrier coatings are widely used for corrosion protection, they do not completely protect the surface and develop microscopic defects over time, allowing moisture and salts to penetrate and damage the underlying metal.

To address this challenge, researchers at IIT Guwahati combined reduced graphene oxide (RGO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and polyaniline (PANI) within a single epoxy coating for marine corrosion protection.

The novel nanocomposite has been developed by attaching zinc oxide nanorods to reduced graphene oxide and then wrapping this structure with polyaniline. The composite was then blended into an epoxy coating and evaluated using several characterisation methods.

The developed epoxy coating has shown improved performance compared to standard epoxy. It formed a denser and more uniform barrier, showed stronger adhesion to the steel surface, and slowed the movement of corrosive elements more effectively.

These characteristics make it suitable for applications in marine infrastructure, offshore platforms, shipbuilding, coastal pipelines, and other steel structures that must withstand continuous exposure to saltwater, said the researchers in the paper, published in the Advanced Engineering Materials journal.

“The incorporation of RGO-ZnO-PANI nanocomposite into epoxy coating offers a promising strategy for achieving long-term corrosion resistance in harsh marine environments. As the next step, we are working towards assessing the long-term durability, real-world performance, and life-cycle impact of this coating,” said Prof. Chandan Das.

The finding adds to ongoing research on corrosion-resistant materials and provides a pathway toward improving the reliability and longevity of structures operating in marine and high-salinity conditions.

The team noted that the research is currently at a laboratory stage, and that the findings are subject to further validation, and not final or ready for commercial application.

–IANS

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