Studies on Biobased Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane Coatings with Potential Corrosion Resistance

This work deals with the development of non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) composites with an aniline oligomer, viz., tetraniline (TANI) for corrosion-resistant coatings. Firstly, epoxidizedsoyabean oil was converted to carbonated oil by inserting CO2 under high temperature and pressure into the epoxy ring. Then, varying weights of oligoaniline—0.5, 1, 2 and 4 wt % (based on the weight of CSBO)—were added to CSBO and cured with tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA, 25 wt % based on CSBO) at 80 °C for 12–15 h. The effects of oligomer loading on the thermal, mechanical and surface wetting properties of the free standing films were studied. The ATR-FTIR spectra of the films exhibited peaks corresponding to the bis-carbamate linkages, confirming the formation of urethane linkages. TGA analysis showed that the addition of oligoaniline did not alter the initial degradation temperature much; however, the residue increased with increasing loading of tetraniline. Both tensile strength and elongation (at break) increased with increasing oligoaniline content. While the glass transition temperature of the films was observed at approximately room temperature, i.e., 20–30 °C, for all the compositions, the contact angles of the composites were found to be less than that of the bare NIPU films. However, all the compositions were hydrophobic, exhibiting contact angles in the 98–110° range. SEM analysis of the cross-sections of the films confirmed the uniform distribution of tetraniline particles and surface morphology showed that the roughness increased with the loading of tetraniline from 0.5 to 4%. MS panels coated with NIPU exhibited good barrier properties and as loading of TANI increased, the rate of corrosion decreased. Salt spray tests indicated that oligoaniline improved the adhesion of the coating to MS and corrosion resistance compared to the neat NIPU coating.