Development of ferulic acid intercalated Zn‐Al layered double hydroxides for anticorrosive applications

Abstract Ferulic acid is being investigated as a green corrosion inhibitor. The co‐precipitation method is used to insert the ferulate anion into the interlayered region of Zn/Al‐ layered double hydroxide (LDH). In the case of ferulic acid, the presence of a lone pair on atoms presents in functional groups such as oxygen, it interacts with the ferrous metal's unoccupied d orbital in mild steel. Hence, by the donor–acceptor mechanism it tends to enhance the adhesion of the coating. It forms a protective film that restricts the access of foreign moieties to the corrosion sites. The performance of plain Zn‐Al LDH & LDH‐FER – investigates on a polyurethane coating, and the mechanical and the coating's chemical characteristics were assessed by changing the concentrations of the respective compounds to 3% and 5% (by weight). To check the hydrophobicity and anticorrosion properties of the coating, contact angle analysis, salt spray test, and EIS were done respectively. For the mechanical, chemical, and anticorrosion performance of the coating it is observed as 3% LDH‐FER – shows the best performance among all the studied formulations as well as an efficient corrosion inhibitor for mild steel.