Stepwise-Induced\nSynthesis and Excellent Corrosion\nProtection of Ce/Eu Codoped ZnO Solid Solution Materials

Under purely inorganic conditions, a synthesis route\nwas devised\nwherein elements were introduced stepwise via coprecipitation based\non differences in compound solubility. This synthesis method can change\nthe microscopic morphology of the material without relying on a templating\nagent, resulting in the formation of the multilayered lamellar Ce/Eu\ncodoped zinc oxide solid solution (ZCEOSS) with a self-assembled nested\nimbrication structure. The study improves the critical matter of corrosion\nby focusing on the electron and energy transfer mechanisms. By introduction\nof the bandgap modulator cerium element and fluorescence enhancer\neuropium element into the ZnO material, the anticorrosion material\nhas been successfully endowed with both photocathodic protection and\nluminescent initiative/stress dual corrosion defense functions. Due\nto the energy level staircase protection mechanism synergistically\ngenerated by the 4f electron shell of rare-earth elements in concert\nwith semiconductor zinc oxide, the energy band positions were modulated\nto progressively guide the direction of electron flow, thereby suppressing\ncorrosion reactions. In particular, the ZCEOSS material synthesized\nby doping 1% cerium and 7% europium and adding rare-earth elements\nat pH 7 exhibited the best corrosion inhibition performance. After\nimmersion in simulated seawater for 96 h, Tafel polarization test\nresults showed that compared to epoxy resin and ZnO anticorrosion\nsystems, the ZCEOSS anticorrosion system exhibited significantly improved\ncorrosion inhibition efficiency with enhancements of 1028.3 and 402.9%,\nrespectively. This study provides new insights into the development\nof highly efficient inorganic anticorrosion materials.