Electrochemical Assessment of Nano Ethyl Methacrylate-Methyl Acrylate Copolymer as Protective Coating for Copper Based Alloy in Sea Water

Abstract

The behavior of tin based copper alloy in sea water was studied by immersion of alloy samples in sea water for six months. The samples were inspected by stereo microscope and the corrosion behavior was evaluated by mass loss, scanning electron microscopy SEM and electrochemical impedance EIS spectroscopy techniques. Nano ethyl methacrylate-methyl acrylate (EMAMA) copolymer coating was applied to protect the copper alloy from corrosion. The efficiency of using nano EMAMA copolymer coating for protection of copper alloy from corrosion was tested by electrochemical impedance EIS spectroscopy technique. The nano structured EMAMA copolymer film resulted in the formation of a structure that can act as a barrier layer from corrosion. Exposure of the tin based copper alloy samples with and without the EMAMA copolymer coating to sodium chloride solution led to a remarkable inhibition of corrosion for the coated samples only. The inhibition efficiency obtained from samples coated with EMAMA copolymer coatings revealed the very high protection efficiency reaching 98.0% during six months of exposure. The durability of the film formed by EMAMA copolymer coating was tested and found to be 0.98.