Formation of novel and crack free nanocomposites based on sol gel process for corrosion protection of copper

Silica based nanocomposites have been developed on copper based on the sol gel process using phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTMS) and sodium montmorillonite (MMT) nanoparticles. Protective properties of the prepared coating and also its characterization were examined by different methods including potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the application of PTMS sol gel coating provided a greater corrosion protection in comparison with bare copper substrate. Crack free sol gel coatings were obtained after the addition of nanoclays. Also, protective properties of the coatings improved after the addition of MMT nanoclay in certain concentrations. The hydrophobic properties of the sol gel nanocomposites have been examined by the contact angle measurements.