International. Iranian researchers at AmirKabir University of Technology use nanotechnology to improve the properties of zinc-rich coatings. The researchers believe that the two properties of high electrical conduction and low permeability of the suggested nanocomposite are the cause of the improvement.
Zinc-rich coatings contain high amounts of zinc powder due to the nature of their performance. These high percentages result in the reduction of the applicable properties of the coating such as adhesion, mechano-physical properties and pore creation. The presence of pores results in the rapid consumption of active zinc powder and decreases the life of the coating.
In this research they have tried to improve the properties of the barrier effect in the coating by means of the polyaniline-clay nanocomposite, while its other properties remain unchanged.
The results of the research show that in case only 1% of zinc powder is replaced with the polyaniline-clay nanocomposite produced in this research, the passage of water vapor decreases by more than 50%. In addition, the open-loop potential of steel shows that with the coating modified with the proposed nanocomposite it will be in a safe zone for a long time (approximately 180 days).
