Cationic Surfactant-Assisted Calcium Carbonate with Conducting Polymer Composite-Based Coatings for Corrosion Prevention Efficacy

The current study establishes the effect of surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)) and the directional agent (polyethylene glycol (PEG)) on the development of porous calcium carbonate (PCC) rhombohedral-like particles as a reservoir to load self-healing material for corrosion-prevention applications. The aspartic acid (AA)-doped polyaniline (PANI)–calcium carbonate reservoirs (CaCO3) (PACCR) were prepared by precipitation, followed by thermal treatment and oxidative polymerization. The nitrogen sorption results for PCC showed an average BET surface area of 358 m2/g, with a pore size of 3.1 nm and a total pore volume of 0.363 cm3/g. The morphological study of PACCR exhibited a rhombohedral-like shape with a size of ∼0.8–1.5 μm. Further, the AA loading efficiency of 79 ± 2% in PACCR was confirmed by UV–vis spectroscopy. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) validated the improved corrosion resistance of this latest-designed active system comprising PACCR over the pure epoxy coating during 35 days of testing. The scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) analysis confirmed the healing process of the PACCR coating via inhibitor release in 180 min. These results authenticate that the developed self-healing systems are highly applicable for corrosion-resistant environments.