SBA15-Fluconazole as a Protective Approach Against Mild Steel Corrosion: Synthesis, Characterization, and...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Corrosion Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Mild steel is susceptible to corrosion in aggressive environments.
• Developing effective self-healing coatings is crucial for extending the lifespan of metallic structures.
• Encapsulating corrosion inhibitors in nanostructured materials offers a promising approach for controlled release.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a SBA15-Fluconazole composite for self-healing coatings.
• To evaluate the protective performance of the composite coating on mild steel.
• To elucidate the mechanism of inhibitor release and its interaction with the SBA15 matrix.

Main Methods:

• SBA15-Fluconazole composite preparation via dispersion.
• Material characterization using various analytical techniques.
• Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for corrosion protection evaluation.
• Computational modeling including docking studies and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM).

Main Results:

• The SBA15-Fluconazole composite demonstrated effective self-healing properties for mild steel.
• Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy confirmed the protective behavior of the coating.
• Computational studies revealed that hydrogen bonds (O-H⋅⋅⋅O, O-H⋅⋅⋅N, O-H⋅⋅⋅F) govern the release rate of Fluconazole.

Conclusions:

• The developed SBA15-Fluconazole composite serves as an efficient self-healing coating for mild steel.
• The controlled release of Fluconazole from the SBA15 matrix is triggered by aggressive solutions.
• Understanding the hydrogen bonding interactions is key to optimizing inhibitor liberation and coating performance.