Effect of Phosphoric Acid Anion Structure on the Corrosion Inhibition of Steel by Polyaniline

Conductive polymers such as polyaniline (PAni) have been examined as candidates for replacing the existing chromate systems. Protonation of emeraldine base creates polarons and bipolarons, single and paired radical cations, respectively, of higher bond energy levels within the molecular orbital band gap.\u27 For a conductive coating, considerable delocalization of corrosion charge and potential may be obtained along or between the polymer chains, because of high electron mobility. Current corrosion systems based on polyaniline typically rely on sulfuric or sulfonic acids as a dopant material, since synthetic techniques utilize persulfates as the oxidant of choice. In our experience, sulfonic/sulfuric acid systems do not produce adequate corrosion protection. However, few studies have been made of alternative dopant anions. Presumably additional studies are deemed of limited benefit because the persulfate synthesis is prevalent and time intensive purifications are required for replacing an existing sulfonic/sulfuric dopant anion. A. dopant study could yet be important to achieving a more effiCient inhibition system. Phosphonates are derivatives of phosphonic acids that contain direct phosphorous-to-carbon bonds (P-C). The P-C bonds are more resistant to hydrolysis than the P-O-C bonds of orgamc phosphates.3 Phosphonic acids are used as scale inhibitors in. Aqueous systems, the use of these acids as dopants in polyamhne could improve corrosion protection exhibited by polyaniline. Kinle.n el aL4 have reported that phosphonic acid doped polyamhne in polyvinylbutyrallatex coatings showed decreasing galvanic activity with time, providing pinhole passivation. We report testing of an Identical series of doped polyanilines as that of Kinlen, et aL applied in an epoxy polyamide coating system

Corrosion inhibition of steel by polyaniline

Polyaniline had been studied as a corrosion inhibitive pigment in epoxy-polyamide primers on cold-rolled steel and phosphated cold-rolled steel to replace existing conventional systems --Abstract, page iv