Preparation and performance study of waterborne epoxy resin/ non-covalent modified graphene oxide hydrogen barrier coatings

Hydrogen embrittlement in hydrogen pipelines can cause severe economic losses and safety hazards, thus research on efficient hydrogen barrier coatings is of great importance. In this study, a more efficient and easily operable non-covalent modification method was employed to modify carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) onto graphene oxide (GO), resulting in a significant improvement in the dispersibility and uniform distribution of GO in waterborne epoxy resin. Subsequently, a hydrogen barrier coating was prepared by incorporating the modified GO into waterborne epoxy resin. The influence of different doping concentrations on the coating performance was investigated. The basic properties of the coatings were characterized using macroscopic analysis, SEM, contact angle measurements, adhesion tests and electrochemical techniques. The corrosion resistance and hydrogen barrier effect was evaluated through electrochemical hydrogen permeation experiments. Results showed that The modified graphene oxide has good compatibility with epoxy resin. When the content of CGO was 0.25 %, the dispersion was best. the CGO coatings has some corrosion resistance with approximately 10 MPa adhesive force and 105 Modular value at the beginning of immersion. The CGO coatings significantly improved the hydrogen resistance of x80 steel. The lowest hydrogen permeation current density was observed at 0.25 wt% CGO concentration, which indicated optimal hydrogen permeation inhibition capability.