Nano-Yttrium Titanate Coated 304 Stainless Steel: Preparation, Characterization and Corrosion Protection Application

Abstract

A study was conducted to develop a protective nano-coating for 304 stainless steel in acidic conditions (1.0 M HCl) using nano-yttrium titanate. The nanoyttrium titanate (Y2Ti2O7) was synthesized through a spin coating sol-gel method at various calcination temperatures. The coated 304 stainless steel samples were subjected to characterization using different surface analysis techniques, including Xray diffraction analysis (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS). The XRD analysis confirmed the formation of the desired Y2Ti2O7phase at 700 °C, which remained stable up to 900 °C with the highest intensity. AFM results revealed that the Y2Ti2O7-coated steel samples calcinated at 900 °C exhibited lower roughness parameters (Ra = 9.4 nm and Rrms = 11.7 nm) compared to the uncoated steel samples treated with HCl (Ra = 18.8 nm and Rrms = 22.7 nm), indicating effective surface protection. SEM images also supported these findings. Furthermore, electrochemical techniques such as Tafel polarization, electrochemical frequency modulation, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were employed. Consistently, all three techniques demonstrated that increasing the calcination temperature and the presence of the Y2Ti2O7phase improved the inhibition efficiency (η%) against corrosion in 1.0 M HCl. The inhibition efficiency reached its maximum value of approximately 99.6% at 900 °C. Overall, the study's findings highlight the significant enhancement of corrosion inhibition efficiency in 304 stainless steel achieved through the application of a nano-yttrium titanate coating. This improvement is attributed to the coating's hydrophobic properties, as evidenced by contact angle measurements.