Synthesis of Polypyrrole/CeO2 Nanocomposite and its Application for Improving the Corrosion Protection of Acrylic Waterborne Coating on Mild Steel

In this work, polypyrrole/CeO2 nanocomposite (NC) was synthesized in the presence of methylorange as a reactive self-degraded soft template. The field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM) images indicate that the CeO2 NPs have a nucleus effect and cause a homogenous PPycore–shell type morphology with an encapsulation of the CeO2 core by the PPy shell. The effect ofNC on acrylic waterborne coatings for preventing the corrosion of mild steel in 0.50 M HCl solutionwas evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The choice of waterborne coatingswas made on the basis of environment and human health considerations. The electrochemicalimpedance data obtained from both blank and coating with polypyrrole/CeO2 nanocomposite sampleswere ?tted with an equivalent circuit containing two time constants. The protection ef?ciency (PE)was measured from EIS method. According to the obtained PE values the coating withnanocomposite demonstrated higher corrosion resistance compared to blank coating.