Electrochemical synthesis of polyaniline films on zinc-cobalt alloy deposited carbon steel surface in sodium oxalate

Polyaniline (PANI) coatings were electropolymerized on zinc-cobalt alloy deposited carbon steel (CS/ZnCo) electrode from an aqueous sodium oxalate solution using three different scan rates in cyclic voltammetric technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the surface morphology of the polymer film. The SEM images showed that the increase in scan rate induced an increase in grain size of the PANI film. The corrosion behavior of CS/ZnCo electrodes with and without PANI film in 3.5% NaCl solution were investigated through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and anodic polarization studies. The results of the study showed that the PANI coatings provided significant and effective protection for the CS/ZnCo electrode, in preventing corrosion. In addition, the PANI film that was synthesized at a high scan rate, exhibited the best anti-corrosive performance due to the formation of protective oxide layers through its catalytic efficiency. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.