TiO2 nanoparticles as corrosion inhibitors on carbon steel

This paper describes the corrosion protection of carbon steel using thin films of TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs). It increases its remaining lifetime and improves its mechanical behaviour. Samples of an oil storage tank were coated. The steel plates have ferrite and pearlite, as well as an agglomeration of cementite and graphite. NPs TiO 2 were synthesized using the Sol-Gel technique with a compact tetragonal structure. The samples were treated at 550 °C for one hour. The anatase phase of the TiO2 was detected. The surface of the samples was evaluated with SEM and EDS. There are no significant changes to the TiO 2 layer. The degradation rate of the coated carbon steel was assessed using linear polarization with a 3.5% NaCl corrosion solution. The corrosion rate was reduced from 0.20 mm/year to 0.14 mm/year at room temperature and from 1.82 mm/year to 1.20 mm/year at a critical operating temperature of 90 °C. The above demonstrates the effectiveness of the TiO2 coating in reducing the corrosion rate under normal operating conditions and high temperatures.