STTR Phase I: Field-Applicable Anticorrosion Coatings Using Polyaniline Nanofibers

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project involves the development and characterization of a new type of active anticorrosion coating with zero VOC, zero HAP, and zero heavy metal content. The coating will have no solvent or carrier, no drying time, and no curing time. This coating is based on a method, newly discovered at Resodyn, to create a non-aggregated dispersion of electrochemically active nanoparticles in a tough, adherent proprietary thermoplastic matrix. The newly discovered composite coating material may be applied either the factory or in the field to steel structures by using a novel polymer thermal spray system developed by Resodyn Corporation. These thermoplastic coatings may also be field-repaired. In this project, the synthesis will be optimized to yield high surface area electrochemically active nanoparticles dispersed in the thermoplastic matrix. The process will be scaled up to produce useful quantities of the coating material with varying thermoplastic compositions, several different concentrations of nanoparticles, and two forms of nanoparticles. These coatings will then be applied to steel substrates, and characterized for mechanical, barrier, and active electrochemical properties. Test coupons and rebar will be exposed to severe corrosion conditions to validate the laboratory results. Corrosion is a $300 billion per year problem. Steel corrosion is of particular concern in bridges and other infrastructure, both internally (rebar in reinforced concrete) and externally (steel structures); direct cost of bridge corrosion alone is between $6-10 billion annually. The most effective anticorrosion treatments, such as chromates and solvent-borne coatings, carry severe environmental hazards. Barrier coatings such as epoxy can provide a degree of protection, but are difficult-to-impossible to field-apply, can be damaged in shipping and handling, and generally need a topcoat for any outdoor exposure. This coating material would be solvent free, instant curing, single part, no pot life or shelf life issues, non-metallic, and simple to use in both factory and in situ applications. Field repair of scratches and gouges would be capable of being done by a simple melting process. The coating will also change color in areas where corrosion is incipient, giving an early warning that a repair will be necessary before any actual corrosion damage can occur. The coating will enable an environmentally friendly method of significantly extending the life of steel infrastructure at a comparable cost to current anticorrosion treatments, which represents a potential $1.8 billion market.