Anti-Corrosion Nickel/Reduced Graphene Oxide-Titanium Dioxide Coating for Mild Steel in Organic Acids

As long as the mild steel is used in building structure in many industries because of its advantages, this study will introduce surface enhancement for the mild steel used in agricultural and food industries. In this study, Nickel–reduced graphene oxide–titanium dioxide (Ni–RGO–TiO2) coatings were prepared on mild steel by electrodeposition of a hydrothermally synthesized grapheme –TiO2 nanocomposite The RGO–TiO2 nanocomposite size and formation was characterized using different techniques such as X-ray diffraction, Transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface morphology and composition of the Ni–RGO– TiO2 coating were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive Xray spectroscopy. The influence of the RGO–TiO2 content in the coatings on the anticorrosion behavior of the coating layer was evaluated in 0.06 M citric acid and 0.1 M acetic acid. Electrochemical measurements revealed that a Ni/nanocomposite layer containing 20.4 wt.% RGO–TiO2substantially enhanced the corrosion resistance of mild steel compared to a Ni coating. In 0.06 M citric acid and 0.1 M acetic acid, the Ni/RGO–TiO2-coated mild steel displayed lower corrosion rates (0.148 and 0.189 mm/y, respectively) than bare mild steel (4.252 and 1.41 mm/y, respectively).