Electrophoretic deposition of novel 2D MXene for anti-corrosion application

Corrosion is a persistent problem that can cause significant damage to structural components and safety hazards, making it an important concern for many industries due to reduced durability and increased maintenance costs. This process is caused by a variety of factors, including exposure to moisture, chemicals, and a non-inert environment. Therefore, finding effective ways to prevent or slow down corrosion is crucial. Several protective methods have been utilized to prevent metals from severe degradation. In this regard, two-dimensional Titanium Carbide (Ti3C2Tx), known as ‘MXene’, represents a new class of material with improved functionality, and offers great promise because of its extraordinary mechanical, electrical, and electrochemical properties. Despite the widespread use of Ti3C2Tx MXene in energy storage, catalysis, purification, and electromagnetic interference shielding, their anticorrosion performance has received relatively little investigation. This article reports the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of Ti3C2Tx MXene on copper substrate. The synthesis of Ti3C2Tx MXene involves the typical wet chemical etching of the silicon layer in HF/H2O2 etchant solution from titanium silicon carbide (Ti3SiC2) – the most common MAX phase. The precursor Ti3SiC2 MAX phase was also synthesized by heating at high temperatures. For EPD, a stable colloidal suspension of 1wt % Ti3C2Tx MXene was prepared in 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and coating was done at an applied voltage of 150 V in the deposition time range of 5s to 60s, using a DC power source. The desired uniform coating with varying thicknesses was optimized for further characterization such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), etc. Electrochemical measurements revealed a significant increase in resistance of the nanostructured coating against corrosion with 99.8% inhibition efficiency. This work provides a platform for other MXene compositions that may be used to further broaden the scope of this investigation.