7XXX aluminum alloys show high mechanical resistance and low weight, both required properties for aircraft industry. Anodizing is an electrolytical process typically used to improve the corrosion resistance of aluminum alloys, through which a thicker and porous oxide is formed. Boiling water is used as a common sealing method to the anodic layer; however, it implies energy expenditure. In this work, a two-step coating system was performed: anodizing in tartaric-sulphuric acid and a post-treatment with a Zr-based conversion coating, obtained at room temperature by immersion in hexafluorozirconic acid (H2ZrF6). To establish the best condition for coating formation on the aluminum oxide layer, different concentration and pH values of the H2ZrF6 solution were studied. Morphological and chemical analyses were performed respectively by SEM and EDS. The corrosion resistance evaluation was carried out by EIS in 0.5 M NaCl. Heterogeneity was observed in the obtained coatings. However, the samples treated with H2ZrF6 had a higher corrosion resistance than unsealed samples. The best concentration and pH range observed for the H2ZrF6 solution were 1 % and 3 to 3.5, respectively. Under these conditions, a greater corrosion resistance was evidenced in comparison to that obtained with boiling water sealing.

Abstract Coatings developed through sol-gel method is presented as an interesting replacement to chromium coating. Sol-gel method present advantages as high purity and excellent distribution of the components. The objective of this work is to synthesize and characterize a film obtained by sol-gel route. The film was prepared with 3-(trimethoxysilylpropyl) methacrylate (TMSPMA), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and cerium nitrate, using water and ethanol as solvents. Polyethyleneglycol (PEG) plasticizer was added at four different concentrations. The sol was characterized by techniques of viscosity, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results showed that tetrafunctional alkoxides condensation was retarded by the plasticizer, forming a compact film. The film with 20 g.L-1 of PEG showed the best electrochemical behavior.

In improving the corrosion and hardness proprieties of ferritic stainless steel, the use of protective coatings becomes an interesting alternative. In this study, a carbon layer was deposited on AISI 430 by electrodeposition using N,N-dimethylformamide with the addition of an organic dopant as the electrolyte. The AISI 430 stainless steel was pretreated by anodization aiming to optimize the film anchoring. The obtained films were characterized by atomic force microscopy, by scanning electron microscopy and by optical interferometry. The microstructural characterization of the films was obtained by Raman Spectroscopy. The corrosion resistance was evaluated by open circuit potential and by potentiodynamic polarization. The friction test and the scratch test were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties. The Raman spectroscopy showed the presence of an amorphous carbon film. The films improved the corrosion resistance of stainless steel. In addition, on the wear analysis the coating showed a good adhesion on the substrate.

This study proposes a new pretreatment method that uses alkoxide precursors with a plasticizing agent; the purpose of this study is to improve the electrochemical and mechanical properties of a galvanized steel surface. Galvanized steel was covered with a hybrid film obtained from a sol that consisted of two alkoxide precursors, 3 - (trimethoxysilylpropyl) methacrylate (TMSM) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), with nitrate cerium in a concentration of 0.01 M and a polyethylene glycol (PEG) plasticizer. The hybrid coatings were obtained by dip-coating method with various concentrations of plasticizer (0, 20, 40 and 60 g.L-1). The hybrid films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), profilometry, contact angle measurements, a tribometer with the type-setting ball on the plate and electrochemical tests. The addition of the plasticizer into the hybrid films improves the corrosion resistance behavior compared to the sample without the plasticizer. The addition of 20 g.L-1 of plasticizer showed the best performance in the electrochemical tests. The mechanical behavior results indicated that higher PEG concentrations resulted in films with enhanced durability.

Tinplate is used to food packaging and other types of packages. The corrosion resistance of the tinplate has been study due the necessity of an alternative to high environmental impact of chromatization process. Therefore protective coatings as hybrid films base elaborations with different acids are studied to improve the barrier effect against corrosion. The objective of this work is characterize hybrid films deposited on a tinplate from a sol made up of the alkoxide precursors 3-(trimethoxysilylpropyl)methacrylate (TMSM), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) together with one of three acids (acetic, hydrochloric or nitric acid) and to verify their action against the corrosion of the substrate. The films were obtained by a dip-coating process and cured for 3 hours at 160 °C. The film hydrophobicity was determined by contact angle measurements, and the morphology was evaluated by SEM. FTIR measurements were performed to characterize the chemical structures of the films. The electrochemical behavior of the coatings was evaluated by techniques open circuit potential monitoring (OCP), potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results demonstrate that the siloxane-PMMA films improve the protective properties of the tinplate, with the films obtained by acetic acid addition exhibiting the greatest improvement.

The tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) influences morphological and electrochemical properties of hybrid films by function of concentration. Moreover, the use of acetic acid as a catalyst in the sol enables a more complete hydrolysis of the silane precursors due to the fact that the acetic acid goes through a more complete ionization when in aqueous solution. The aim of this paper is to study the effect of the concentration of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) on the protective properties of the film on tinplate substrate. The tinplate was coated with a hybrid film obtained from a sol-gel method constituted of the following alkoxide precursors: 3 - (trimetoxisililpropil) methacrylate (TMSM) and poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA. The effect of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) concentration has also been evaluated. The films hydrolysis was performed at a pH value of 3. 0 using acetic acid as a catalyst. The films were obtained by dip-coating process, cured for 3 hours at 160 ºC. The film morphology was evaluated by SEM and profilometry. The electrochemical behavior of the films was evaluated by open circuit potential monitoring, potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The film hydrophobicity was determined by contact angle measurements. The studied films have shown good performance as to corrosion resistance on tinplate. The hybrid film which was obtained through the addition of an excessive amount of TEOS (T3A3) showed increased thickness. Nevertheless, due to an intense densification of the film, promoted by the addition of TEOS, a formation of cracks was registered, thereby compromising the corrosion resistance.

Hybrid films obtained by a sol-gel process are based on two important reactions: hydrolysis and condensation. The condensation reaction is influenced by the curing temperature, since it induces the development of the intrinsic properties of the gel. The aim of this work is to coat tinplate, a substrate widely used in the packaging industry, with monolayered and bilayered hybrid films modified with polyethylene glycol and obtained through dip-coating. The results showed that the bilayered hybrid film obtained at 60ºC had a higher layer thickness, and the best performance in the electrochemical assays, as well as the most hydrophobic character, in relation to the other samples. For the monolayered systems, the 90ºC-cured system showed a lower layer thickness; however, this system showed a more compact, uniform and less porous layer, and presented better electrochemical impedance results, in comparison with the 60ºC-cured samples.