Preparation and performances of conductive, wear-resistant, and anti-corrosion coatings based on low content monodisperse SWCNTs

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are considered an ideal candidate material for multifunctional coatings because of their excellent electrical, thermal and mechanical properties. However, achieving uniform dispersion of SWCNTs while maintaining their structure and performance remains a significant challenge. The monodisperse SWCNTs (m-SWCNTs) can be obtained using a non-covalent PVP dispersant under the graded homogenization method. PVP acted as steric hindrance due to the π-π conjugate, thereby hindering the agglomeration and preventing the damage of SWCNTs. We incorporate low amounts of m-SWCNTs into fluorocarbon (FC) coatings to fabricate m-SWCNTs/FC composite coatings. We also investigate the effect of m-SWCNTs content on the electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance and wear resistance of the composite coating. Our results indicate that when the content of m-SWCNTs reaches at 0.25 wt%, the electrical resistivity of the m-SWCNTs/FC composite coating is 1.67 × 10⁻² Ωm, significantly decreased by 9 orders of magnitude compared to FC coating. The conductive network would be formed by the high aspect ratio and non-damaged of m-SWCNTs to improve the conductivity. Additionally, the wear rate containing 0.15 wt% m-SWCNTs decreased by 50.1 % due to the improved strength and heat conduction to inhibit the adhesive wear. Furthermore, in comparison to bare steel, the corrosion current density of 0.15 wt% m-SWCNTs/FC composite coating is reduced by two orders of magnitude due to zigzag the corrosive path. Our studies suggest that the m-SWCNTs/FC composite coatings have a broad prospect in preparing large-scale, high-performance, and low-cost functional coatings.