Preparation and Performance of Active Anti-corrosion Epoxy Coatings Based on Oxygen Consumption Mechanism of Nano Catalysts

doi:10.11902/1005.4537.2025.282

Journal of Chinese Society for Corrosion and protection

2026, Vol. 46

Issue (4): 1117-1128 DOI: 10.11902/1005.4537.2025.282

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Preparation and Performance of Active Anti-corrosion Epoxy Coatings Based on Oxygen Consumption Mechanism of Nano Catalysts

CHENG Meng¹, LI Xiaowei¹(

), HU Songqing²

^1.School of Materials Science and Physics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
^2.School of Materials Science and Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China

Cite this article:

CHENG Meng, LI Xiaowei, HU Songqing. Preparation and Performance of Active Anti-corrosion Epoxy Coatings Based on Oxygen Consumption Mechanism of Nano Catalysts. Journal of Chinese Society for Corrosion and protection, 2026, 46(4): 1117-1128.

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Abstract

Generally, stimuli-responsive anticorrosion coatings may be given self-repairing function via dispersing specially designed nanocontainers into host coatings, enabling them to have the property of self-repairing after being suffered from corrosion attack. Herein, hollow-structured Co-N-C nanocatalyst was prepared via a silica-protected pyrolysis method, then the acquired nanocatalyst was incorporated into an epoxy coating to develop a novel nanocatalytic anticorrosion coating. The Co-N-C catalyst exhibits an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with half-wave potential of up to 0.89 V, demonstrating excellent catalytic activity. After introducing the catalyst into the epoxy coating, the anticorrosion performance of the coating is significantly enhanced. After 60 d of immersion in an oxygen-saturated 3.5% (mass fraction) NaCl solution, the coating/carbon steel remains intact, and the steel substrate shows no obvious signs of corrosion, indicating markedly superior protection compared with the pure epoxy coating. The enhanced performance is mainly attributed to the oxygen-consuming catalytic mechanism for the hollow-structured Co-N-C nanocatalyst, which effectively delays the chemical corrosion process of the steel substrate, thereby significantly extending the its service life. The oxygen-consumption-based anticorrosion strategy proposed in this study provides a new direction for research on inhibiting oxygen diffusion, prolonging coating service life, and enhancing anticorrosion performance.

Key words: Co-N-C confined pyrolysis oxygen reduction reaction nanocatalytic anticorrosion smart coatings

Received: 06 September 2025 32134.14.1005.4537.2025.282

ZTFLH:

TB34

Fund: Foundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(2025QN1135)

Corresponding Authors: LI Xiaowei, E-mail: chco@cumt.edu.cn

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https://www.jcscp.org/EN/10.11902/1005.4537.2025.282 OR https://www.jcscp.org/EN/Y2026/V46/I4/1117

Fig.1 Schematic representation of the synthesis for Co-N-C catalysts

Fig.2 SEM images of ZnCo-ZIF (a) and ZnCo-ZIF@SiO₂ (b), TEM images of NP-N-C (c) and Co-N-C (d), and element mapping (e)

Fig.3 Characterization of nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms and pore distribution (a, b), XRD patterns (c), Raman spectra (d), XPS survey spectra (e), high-resolution spectrum of C 1s, N 1s, and Co 2p (f-h), and the N species (i) in the carbon framework

Fig.4 Co K-edge XANES spectrum (a), Fourier transformed magnitudes (b), and R-space EXAFS fitting curves (c) of Co-N-C

Fig.5 Polarization curves of Co-N-C and Pt/C in 0.1 mol/L KOH electrolyte saturated with oxygen at a rotational speed of 1600 r/min (a), and Co-N-C under different rotating speeds (b), and plots of K-L (c) and Tafel curve (d)

Fig.6 Surface (a, b) and cross-section (c, d) morphologies of Co-N-C doped and pure epoxy coatings

Fig.7 EIS of blank and Co-N-C coatings after 60 d immersion in oxygen-saturated 3.5%NaCl solution: Bode plots (a), Nyquist plots (b), phase angle plots (c), equivalent circuit models (d, e)

Table 1 Comparison between our work and previously published papers

Fig.8 Variation of R_c (a), C_c (b), R_ct (c) and C_dl(d) of different coatings

Fig.9 SEM images and EDS results of EP-0 (a), EP-0.5 (b), EP-1 (c) and EP-3 (d) coated carbon steel (mass fraction)

Fig.10 Raman spectra of corrosion products on metal surface covered by EP-0 and EP-1 coatings (a) and oxygen permeability (b)

Fig.11 Proposed nanocatalytic anticorrosion mechanism

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