Advanced methyltriethoxysilane-modified silazane coating with enhanced durability and corrosion protection

The present study aims to evaluate the effect of incorporating methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) into the Durazane 1800 backbone and to investigate how this modification influences the coating properties. The synthesis of MTES-modified polysilazane sols involved pre-hydrolysis of MTES via the sol-gel method, followed by its incorporation into the Durazane 1800 backbone. Furthermore, the modification of Durazane 1800 backbone involved the use of some catalysts such as tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF) and dicumyl peroxide (DCP). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was employed to analyze the structural changes in the modified polysilazane. The most promising MTES-modified polysilazane sol was deposited as a coating on AISI 304 stainless steel, followed by heat treatment at 100 °C. FTIR analysis showed that the incorporation of MTES increased the cross-linking density and improved the curing of the polysilazane-derived network at low temperature. The MTES-modified polysilazane coatings have improved physical and chemical properties, including strong adhesion, high water contact angle (104°), and uniform thickness of 5 μm. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization tests demonstrated excellent corrosion protection, with an impedance modulus of 1.34 × 10 9 Ω·cm 2 and a corrosion current density of 1 × 10 −10 A·cm −2 , respectively. Additionally, the coatings showed strong chemical resistance to acidic and oxidative environments and effective self-cleaning performance. • Incorporation of MTES to polysilazane by sol-gel method has been investigated. • Highly crosslinked MTES-OPSZ network produced high-performance protective coating. • MTES-OPSZ coating exhibited superior corrosion resistance in chloride environments. • Hybrid coating displayed good chemical resistance and self-cleaning properties.