Functionalization of montmorillonite with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) for anti-corrosion and anti-biofouling epoxy nanocomposite (RIP2026-00017)

Mark Pasciolco, John Loui Tadia, Wei Han, King Lun Yeung

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Metallic pipes are susceptible to biofouling and corrosion due to complex ions and microorganisms found not just the water it carries but also from the environment wherein they are deployed. To combat this, the application of polymeric coatings like epoxy has been used for decades. Epoxy itself needs reinforcement or fillers to improve its mechanical, anti-biofouling and anti-corrosion coatings. Studies have shown that coatings must be hydrophobic enough to inhibit the attachment of organisms and the diffusion of water and ions that causes corrosion. With these, this research would like to determine the effectiveness of functionalizing MMT with polyethyleneimine (PEI), a cationic polymer known for its antimicrobial property, and fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) which is being utilized to modify the hydrophobicity of certain materials. FTIR spectra and SEM-EDS confirmed the presence of both compounds on the functionalized nanomaterial. At 1wt%, the functionalized nanomaterial PEI/FAS/MMT improved the hydrophobicity of epoxy by approximately 17%. A reduction of around 53% and 95% on E. coli and S. aureus biofilm growth was achieved. Lastly, the formulated epoxy nanocomposite had 91% corrosion inhibition efficiency (CIE). Therefore, epoxy loaded with PEI/FAS/MMT proved its potential to be applied as anti-biofouling and anti-corrosion coating for water pipelines.