Urea-Functionalized GO-ZnO Nanocomposites for Enhanced Corrosion Protection of Low-Carbon Steel: Roles of Dispersion and Interfacial Adsorption
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Abstract
In this work, a series of urea-modified GO-ZnO (U-GO-ZnO) hybrid materials were synthesized by modifying GO-ZnO nanocomposites with urea to enhance their anti-corrosive performance in saline environments. The incorporation of urea improves surface functionalization, interfacial interaction, and dispersion stability of GO-ZnO, thereby enhancing its protective performance on metallic substrates. The prepared GO-ZnO material was successfully modified with 3 wt.% urea, and the resulting U-GO-ZnO composites were systematically characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. FTIR and Raman analyses confirmed the chemical interaction between urea and oxygen-containing functional groups on the GO surface, while XRD patterns revealed the preserved crystalline structure of ZnO after modification. SEM micrographs showed a more uniform surface morphology and improved particle dispersion, supporting the positive role of urea functionalization. The anti-corrosion performance of U-GO-ZnO was evaluated using both the weight-loss method and potentiostatic polarization measurements under varying inhibitor concentrations and immersion durations. The results demonstrated that exposure time has a significant influence on corrosion inhibition efficiency. In a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, the concentration of 0.05 g/L exhibited the most promising inhibition efficiency, reaching 77.73%, 69.01%, and 87.21% after 30, 60, and 120 min, respectively. Furthermore, Nyquist impedance plots obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) revealed that electrodes immersed in 0.2 g/L U-GO-ZnO solution possessed the largest charge-transfer resistance, indicating the formation of a highly stable passive layer that effectively mitigates corrosion processes. These findings support the conclusion that urea-modified GO–ZnO is a promising anti-corrosive additive for metal protection applications.
Keywords
anti-corrosion, graphene oxide, hybrid material, potentiodynamic polarization, zinc oxide
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