Study on the erosion and corrosion resistance of graphene oxide and polymer composite coatings

We report the fabrication of graphene oxide (GO) and polymer composite coatings on a copper substrate using electrophoretic deposition (EPD) by varying the deposition times from 5 to 15 min. This study deals with the erosion wear and corrosion behaviour of the GO and poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P) composite coating after being treated with polymethyl hydro siloxane (p) at 140°C for 2 h. Taguchi’s experimental design was adopted to optimize erosion parameters, i.e., stand-off distance, powder feed rate, impact velocity and impingement angle. The lowest erosion rate, i.e., 50 mg kg⁻¹ was achieved for the 10-min GOPp composite-coating sample treated at an impact velocity of 30 m s⁻¹, a stand-off distance of 30 mm, a powder feed rate of 6 g min⁻¹, and an impingement angle of 60°. The reduction in the erosion rate for the 10-min GOPp composite coating might be attributed to lubrication and improved densification of the composite coating. Along with that, it is observed that the GOPp composite coating provides self-lubrication with the solid lubricant feature of GO, reducing friction in the contact area. Apart from erosion resistance, the composite coating offers improved corrosion resistance as well.