A mussel adhesive protein based nanocomposite thin film was produced to be applied as surface pre-treatment or primer on rebars of reinforced concrete. The film deposition and drying processes were investigated to enhance the corrosion protection, and facilitate large-scale industrial applications. The morphology, chemical composition and microstructure of the film were characterised with SEM, EDS, Micro-IR and AFM techniques. EIS results suggested the film provides excellent and increased corrosion protection for the carbon steel in mild and extreme concrete pore solutions. In-situ AFM results demonstrated the self-healing ability of the film to the pitting corrosion.

Application of protective coatings on metals may involve a thermal treatment process. In this study, the effect of thermal treatment up to 200 degrees C on the corrosion protection was investigated for nanocomposite films composed of mussel adhesive protein (MAP), CeO2 nanoparticles and Na2HPO4 deposited on carbon steel. The morphology and microstructure of the pre-formed nanocomposite film were characterized by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The changes in the chemical structure of the nanocomposite film due to the thermal treatment were investigated by infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy. The corrosion protection of the unheated and heated nanocomposite films on carbon steel was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and details of the corrosion process were elucidated by in-situ AFM measurements in 0.1 M NaCl solution. The results show a certain increase in the corrosion protection with time of the nanocomposite film for carbon steel. The analyses reveal that thermal treatment leads to a reduction of water molecules in the nanocomposite film, and an enhanced cross-linking and cohesion of the film due to oxidation of catechols to o-quinones. As a result, the film becomes more compact and gives improved corrosion protection for carbon steel.

A nanocomposite film composed of mussel adhesive protein (MAP) and CeO2 nanoparticles has been explored as a 'green' alternative for corrosion protection of carbon steel. In this work, the nanocomposite film of sub-micron thickness was deposited on carbon steel surface by one-step-dipping method. The film was characterized by using scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive spectroscopy and atomic force microscope (AFM). The measurements of scanning reference electrode technique and in-situ AFM were performed to investigate the initial localized corrosion process at defects and self-healing ability of the nanocomposite film. The results demonstrate that the nanocomposite film possesses a certain self-healing ability and provides excellent corrosion protection for carbon steel in neutral 0.1 M NaCl solution. The self-healing ability is attributed to the functional group (catechol) of the MAP, and the healing process is explained by the fact that Fe ions released from the surface defects promote the formation of Fe-catecholato complexes in the nanocomposite film, which retards the localized corrosion at these defects.