Abstract

ALVAREZ, D.; COLLAZO, A.  and  PEREZ, C.. Characterization of Hybrid Sol-gel Coatings Applied over Tinplate. Port. Electrochim. Acta [online]. 2013, vol.31, n.5, pp.265-276. ISSN 0872-1904.  https://doi.org/10.4152/pea.201305265.

The present work studies the behavior of hybrid sol-gel films based on tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and vinyltrimethylsiloxane (VTMS) precursors applied over commercial tinplate. In previous works VTMS films obtained by the sol-gel technology were tested to verify their good corrosion performance over short immersion times in a citric acid/sodium citrate buffer solution. However, at longer exposure times the high porosity inherent to organic sol-gel films allows the aggressive media to reach the metallic substrate and start the corrosion process. In order to overcome these limitations, hybrid organic-inorganic sol-gel coatings were obtained using the dip- coating method. This work also studies the influence of the ageing time of the hybrid sol-gel in the formation of a uniform and continuous film. The obtained layers were characterized using a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and mechanical profilometry. The corrosion performance in organic acid media was tested using polarization curves and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) with a 0.1M citric/citrate buffer solution as electrolyte. The results obtained suggest that a minimum ageing time of 10 days is needed to obtain uniform films. The electrochemical measurements indicate a clear improvement on the barrier properties on the hybrid sol-gel compared to the organic ones. A major decrease in the impedance values after 24 hours of immersion indicates that it is necessary to improve the long-term barrier properties to achieve an industrial application.

Keywords : Sol-gel; tinplate; citric/citrate; EIS; equivalent circuit.

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