title: Three-dimensional structure analysis and percolation properties of a barrier marine coating.
abstract: Artificially structured coatings are widely employed to minimize materials deterioration and corrosion, the annual direct cost of which is over 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) for industrial countries. Manufacturing higher performance anticorrosive coatings is one of the most efficient approaches to reduce this loss. However, three-dimensional (3D) structure of coatings, which determines their performance, has not been investigated in detail. Here we present a quantitative nano-scale analysis of the 3D spatial structure of an anticorrosive aluminium epoxy barrier marine coating obtained by serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) and ptychographic X-ray computed tomography (PXCT). We then use finite element simulations to demonstrate how percolation through this actual 3D structure impedes ion diffusion in the composite materials. We found the aluminium flakes align within 15° of the coating surface in the material, causing the perpendicular diffusion resistance of the coating to be substantially higher than the pure epoxy.
authors: London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, WC1H 0AH, UK. chenwillcon@gmail.com
authors: Bo
authors: B
authors: Chen
authors: Manuel
authors: M
authors: Guizar-Sicairos
authors: Gang
authors: G
authors: Xiong
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Shemilt
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Diaz
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Nutter
authors: Nicolas
authors: N
authors: Burdet
authors: Suguo
authors: S
authors: Huo
authors: Joel
authors: J
authors: Mancuso
authors: Alexander
authors: A
authors: Monteith
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Vergeer
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Burgess
authors: Ian
authors: I
authors: Robinson
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