Boosting the acid penetration barrier of epoxy-silica organic-inorganic hybrid coating via adjusting its molecular structures: Experimental and molecular dynamics simulation study
Jianhua Sun, Wen Sun, Lida Wang, Kaixin Xu, Zhengqing Yang, Yun‐Sheng Ma, Liqiu Zhao, Shiheng Ma, Wenxiang Xing, Guichang Liu
Abstract
The permeability barrier property of coatings against corrosive media determines their service life. Herein, the molecular structure of epoxy-silica organic-inorganic hybrid (OIH) coating is regulated to endow the coatings with enhanced barrier properties by a simple sol-gel method. Experiments show that the coating with 8% Si-O-Si structure has the best acid penetration resistance after 45 days of immersion in 10 wt.% H 2 SO 4 solution. In addition, molecular dynamics simulation results show that the molecular structure of OIH affects the densification of the coating, forming a highly cross-linked network structure that inhibits the diffusion and destructive effects of corrosive media and thus affects the acid penetration resistance of the coating.