Deciphering and Mitigating Failure Mechanisms in Poly(ether Imide) Corrosion Protection Coatings for Automotive Light-Weighting

• Published in: ACS Engineering Au Vol. 5; no. 4; pp. 384 - 399
• Main Authors: Sill, Tiffany E., Cantrell, Joseph K., Ponce, Victor, Valdes, Caroline G., Fletcher, Torrick, Fuller, Kerry, Singh, Sujata, Al-Hashimi, Mohammed, Castaneda, Homero, Johnson, Peter M., Banerjee, Sarbajit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 20.08.2025
• Subjects: metal binding; poly(ether imide)s; coating design; corrosion protection; aluminum alloys
• ISSN: 2694-2488; 2694-2488
• DOI: 10.1021/acsengineeringau.5c00014

Corrosion represents a key impediment to the greater adoption of light metal alloys as alternatives to automotive steels in vehicular applications. Thin nanocomposite coatings generate considerable interest for their potential in aluminum alloy corrosion protection, which is challenging due to the lack of conventional protection mechanisms that are available for other metals. Here, we investigate the thickness-dependent corrosion protection afforded to AA 7075 substrates by poly­(ether imide)-based (PEI) coatings. Using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to monitor ion transport, we observe that with increasing coating thickness, PEI more effectively sequesters ions and enforces permeation selectivity, thereby precluding deleterious substitution processes that dissolve corrosion products. We further explore thickness-dependent modifications to the PEI matrix by incorporation of unfunctionalized exfoliated graphite (UFG) particles to control diffusion processes and co-polymerization with siloxane to manipulate permeation selectivity. Incorporation of UFG platelets can degrade corrosion protection through galvanic coupling with the substrate and enhanced interfacial ion diffusion at lower coating thicknesses. However, interphase development mediated by hydration, network relaxation, and thermal displacement of PEI chains yields a rigid matrix that enhances permeation selectivity and imbues extended tortuosity. This combination results in superior corrosion protection for thicker PEI coatings with embedded UFG platelets under aggressive accelerated corrosion testing conditions. Siloxane co-polymerization, while weakening interfacial adhesion to AA 7075 substrates, facilitates the sequestration of solubilized corrosion products within the matrix under appropriate processing conditions. The results illustrate the importance of understanding the dynamical evolution of polymer secondary structure under aggressive accelerated corrosion testing conditions, point to the specific role of secondary structure and interphasic domains in enforcing permeation selectivity, and establish fundamental thickness limits for retaining effective barrier protection.