TY - JOUR
T1 - Eco-friendly, robust electropolymerized nanocomposite coating for stainless steel against sulfate-reducing bacteria corrosion
AU - Hei, Xianling
AU - Hu, Chuanbo
AU - Zhang, Si
AU - Huang, Xing
AU - Yin, Huawei
AU - Tang, Chengli
AU - Li, Tingzhen
AU - Ren, Kangning
N1 - This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51773173 and 81973288), HKRGC (12202422), the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (Grant Nos. CSTB2025NSCQ-LZX0103 and CSTB2024NSCQ-MSX1013), the Science and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission (Grant Nos. KJZD-M202301201 and KJZD-K202304502), the Talent Program of Changshou (CSYC2025-002), and the Opening Project of Material Corrosion and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan province (Grant No. 2024CL05).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2025/11/10
Y1 - 2025/11/10
N2 - Microorganisms in the marine environment are prone to attach to the surface of ship to form biofilms. Especially, the H2S and sulfide produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), which account for 20 % of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), during their growth and metabolic processes accelerate the corrosion of metals. This study employs a simple, environmentally friendly galvanostatic polymerization method to uniquely combine conductive polymers (aniline, ANI; o-phenylenediamine, oPD) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles on 304 stainless steel (304 SS), forming a poly (ANI-co-oPD)/TiO2 composite coating (PA-co-PoPD/TiO2, PPTC). This coating enhances electrical activity by forming a P–N heterojunction, achieves metal passivation, and uses TiO2 to fill micropores, thereby creating a dense surface that mitigates corrosion caused by SRB. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the formation of a dense and uniformly thick (43.20 μm) PPTC coating. Mechanical tests verified that the coating exhibits strong adhesion to the stainless steel (SS) substrate and excellent mechanical stability (Vickers hardness: 233 HV). Furthermore, the corrosion behavior of 304 SS under coating protection was evaluated through electrochemical and immersion tests in a mixed solution of 3.5 % NaCl and SRB. The resulting corrosion parameters demonstrated that the PPTC exhibited outstanding corrosion resistance and antimicrobial properties, with a corrosion protection efficiency of 93.94 % after 7 days of immersion, and a surface live bacterial coverage of only 0.1 %. The results showed that ANI, oPD, and TiO2 copolymerized to form a dense, continuous surface that provided a strong physical barrier and excellent adhesion. Additionally, negatively charged TiO2 and bacteria repel each other, reducing bacterial adhesion. This synergistic effect significantly improved the coating's corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties against SRB. Based on this new protection mechanism, the PPTC coating exhibits exceptional corrosion resistance, antibacterial properties and adhesion, demonstrating significant potential for environmentally friendly marine applications.
AB - Microorganisms in the marine environment are prone to attach to the surface of ship to form biofilms. Especially, the H2S and sulfide produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), which account for 20 % of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), during their growth and metabolic processes accelerate the corrosion of metals. This study employs a simple, environmentally friendly galvanostatic polymerization method to uniquely combine conductive polymers (aniline, ANI; o-phenylenediamine, oPD) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles on 304 stainless steel (304 SS), forming a poly (ANI-co-oPD)/TiO2 composite coating (PA-co-PoPD/TiO2, PPTC). This coating enhances electrical activity by forming a P–N heterojunction, achieves metal passivation, and uses TiO2 to fill micropores, thereby creating a dense surface that mitigates corrosion caused by SRB. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the formation of a dense and uniformly thick (43.20 μm) PPTC coating. Mechanical tests verified that the coating exhibits strong adhesion to the stainless steel (SS) substrate and excellent mechanical stability (Vickers hardness: 233 HV). Furthermore, the corrosion behavior of 304 SS under coating protection was evaluated through electrochemical and immersion tests in a mixed solution of 3.5 % NaCl and SRB. The resulting corrosion parameters demonstrated that the PPTC exhibited outstanding corrosion resistance and antimicrobial properties, with a corrosion protection efficiency of 93.94 % after 7 days of immersion, and a surface live bacterial coverage of only 0.1 %. The results showed that ANI, oPD, and TiO2 copolymerized to form a dense, continuous surface that provided a strong physical barrier and excellent adhesion. Additionally, negatively charged TiO2 and bacteria repel each other, reducing bacterial adhesion. This synergistic effect significantly improved the coating's corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties against SRB. Based on this new protection mechanism, the PPTC coating exhibits exceptional corrosion resistance, antibacterial properties and adhesion, demonstrating significant potential for environmentally friendly marine applications.
KW - Antimicrobial properties
KW - Corrosion resistance
KW - Mechanical stability
KW - PA-co-PoPD
KW - Sulfate-reducing bacteria
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105015358577&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032386125010535?via%3Dihub
U2 - 10.1016/j.polymer.2025.129067
DO - 10.1016/j.polymer.2025.129067
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:105015358577
SN - 0032-3861
VL - 338
JO - Polymer
JF - Polymer
M1 - 129067
ER -
