INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTI-CORROSION COATING FOR STEEL REBAR

The problem of corrosion of steel reinforcement in reinforced concrete used in hydraulic installations such as dams and water channels made of reinforced concrete is one of the most important problems in the field of civil engineering. An epoxy coating containing TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) was fabricated. The modified coating was applied to steel bars by curing at room temperature. The modified coating was examined using a scanning electron microscope to verify the absence of agglomeration of nanoparticles, and the influence of incorporation of different TiO2 NPs on the corrosion behavior of epoxycoated surface was studied through two methods first one was the effective dynamic polarization and the second one was electrochemical resistance spectroscopy. Samples had been monitored about 750 hours while it is immersed in a 2.5% wt sodium chloride solution. The results of the study indicated that the addition of titanium dioxide nanoparticles significantly enhance the anti-corrosion property of the coating.