Development and Characterization of Eco-Friendly Sol-Gel Coatings Synthesized from Rice Husk Ash, Doped in Graphene Oxide (GO) for Corrosion Protection of Mild Steel

This research is centered on an environmentally sustainable sol-gel coating, using silica extracted from rice husk ash (RHA), to foster the persistent deterioration of mild steel cause by corrosion for decades despite all efforts put in place by previous researchers. The research focus, was on the extraction of silica from rice hush to synthesize silica-base sol-gel formulation, doped in a graphene oxide to enhanced its efficiency. The formulated sol-gel coating was applied on the mild steel substrates and then characterized by evaluating its corrosion resistance through electrochemical and surface characterization techniques. Such as XRD, FT-IR, SEM, Tafel Polarization and Adhesion Test, which were carried out on the coated samples. Corrosion test was carried out by immersing coated and uncoated samples in 3.5% NaCl solution for seven (7) days and then conducted a Potentiodynamic polarization and Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) test to analyze the corrosion rates, impedance and protection efficiency. It was observed that, the highest inhibition efficiency of 85% was achieved at a concentration of 1.0g/200ml after 7 days of exposure which revealed that, coated mild steel possess higher potential corrosion resistant when compared with the conventional anti-corrosion coating in use. Essentially, this research would definitely promote green chemistry by utilizing agricultural waste materials, avoiding uses of toxic precursors and offering an eco-friendly alternative to conventional anti-corrosion coatings.