3,3,3-Trifluoropropyltrimethoxysilane (TFPTMS) Sol-Gel-Coated Aluminum Specimens: Influence of Sol-Gel Preparation Medium on Coating Properties

摘要

Coating a component/structure is, arguably, the most common corrosion protection method, with organic barrier coatings being the most widely used variant. Many concerns have been raised about these coatings; for example, they are not biodegradable and emit volatile organic compounds. Thus, there is interest in a new generation of organic barrier coatings. This type of coating is the subject of the present study, which involved 1) application of coatings prepared from 3,3,3-trifluoropropyltrimethoxysilane (TFPTMS) sol-gel, using both an organic solvent (ethanol solution) and an aqueous solution, to Al specimens; and 2) characterization of the coatings. The influence of sol-gel preparation medium (ethanol solution versus aqueous solution) and post-coating treatment method (drying versus curing) on an assortment of coating properties, such as corrosion resistance in NaCl solution and contact angle in water, was determined. The most corrosion-resistant coating was obtained using an aqueous TFPTMS sol-gel and curing of the coated specimen at 105 °C for 24 h.