Electropolymerization of poly(N-ethyl aniline) on mild steel: Synthesis, characterization and corrosion protection

Poly(N-ethylaniline) (PNEA) coatings on the mild steel electrode were synthesized by electrochemical oxidation of N-ethylaniline using aqueous oxalic acid solutions as reaction medium. Electrodeposition was carried out by potentiodynamic, potentiostatic and galvanostatic synthesis techniques. Smooth, adhesive and thick PNEA coatings on mild steel could be electrosynthesized during sequential scanning of the potential region between −0.5 and 1.4 V versus SCE, with scan rate of 20 mV s⁻¹. The electrodeposited coatings were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, FT-IR and UV-vis techniques. Corrosion behavior of PNEA coated steels was investigated by linear anodic potentiodynamic polarization technique and Tafel test. Anodic potentiodynamic polarization results showed that electrodissolution current value of PNEA coated steel decreased about 90% compared to that of the uncoated steel in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ aqueous solution. Tafel plots showed also strong decrease of corrosion current for the PNEA coated electrode compared to the uncoated steel electrode in 3% NaCl as corrosive medium.