Corrosion protection of iron using porous anodic oxide/conducting polymer composite coatings

Conducting polymers (CPs), including polypyrrole, have attracted attention for their potential in the protection of metals against corrosion; however, CP coatings have the limitation of poor adhesion to metal substrates. In this study, a composite coating, comprising a self-organized porous anodic oxide layer and a polypyrrole layer, has been developed on iron. Because of electropolymerization in the pores of the anodic oxide layer, the composite coating showed improved adhesion to the substrate along with prolonged corrosion protection in a NaCl aqueous corrosive environment. The anodic oxide layers are formed in a fluoride-containing organic electrolyte and contain a large amount of fluoride species. The removal of these fluoride species from the oxide layer and the metal/oxide interface region is crucial for improving the corrosion protection.