Abstract
In the present work, a hydrophobic Zirconium nitride (ZrN) nanoflowers [ZrNNF] surface was successfully developed on mild steel (MS) substrate via an industrial PVD technique. The developed hierarchical surface was characterized using FE-SEM (field emission scanning electron microscopy), EDS (energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and AFM (atomic force microscopy). The electrochemical characteristics of ZrNNF coating were investigated using potentiodynamic and EIS measurements in saline media [3.5 wt% NaCl solution]. The influence of hierarchical surface on corrosion parameters has also been examined. The experimental results reveal that the corrosion potential (Ecorr) of the coated substrate was shifted towards a more noble value (~- 55 mV) with a lower current density (Icorr) (0.0027 mu A/cm2) as compared to the bare (10.9 mu A/cm2) specimen. Similarly, EIS parameters also revealed a similar behavior of coated sample, resultant low corrosion rate than the bare sample. The anti-corrosion mechanism of the ZrNNF coating is also presented in detailed. Based on the presents' results, the ZrNNF@MS coating shows excellent wetting and corrosion resistant properties under the saline environment.
NSTL
Elsevier