Preparation, Characterization, and Evaluation of the Anticorrosion Performance of Submicron/Nanocarbon from Jute Sticks

Abstract

Jute stick, one of the most commonly and abundantly available agricultural waste product, was converted to a value-added submicron/nano jute carbon using pyrolysis and high energy ball milling techniques. The submicron/nano jute carbon was characterized using FE-SEM, TEM, EDS, XRD, XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The anticorrosive performance of the submicron/nano jute carbon was investigated through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) and salt spray techniques, on mild steel plates coated with a mixture of epoxy resin and the submicron/nano jute carbon. The electrochemical impedance of the steel coated with the composite coating was an order of two magnitudes higher than that of the specimen coated with neat epoxy. Consequently, the corrosion rate of specimens coated with composite coating was 13-20 times higher than that of steel coated with neat epoxy coating. The salt spray results also indicate an improvement in the corrosion resistance performance of the composite coating compared to the neat epoxy. The uniform distribution of the submicron/nano jute carbon particles in the epoxy resin improved the denseness of the composite coating by acting as a barrier against the diffusion of chloride, moisture, and oxygen; thus, improving the corrosion resistance of the developed coating.