Stainless steel 316L is a commonly employed alloy with high corrosion resistance due to the chromium content. However, in marine environments it is susceptible to pitting corrosion due to the presence of chloride ions leading to a breakdown on the passive oxide layer. Surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) in conjunction with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) were used to produce films of poly(methyl acrylate), poly(methyl methacrylate), and poly(styrene) covalently bound to the surface of stainless steel 316L. This was accomplished by immobilization of an SI-ATRP initiator on hydroxyl terminated SAMs, followed by surface-initiated polymerization. The ordering of the alkyl chains, immobilization of the bromoisobutryl bromide, and the successful synthesis of the polymer films on the surface were characterized by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy. The films were characterized with cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Modifications resulted in polymer films with up to 0.99 fractional coverage and protection efficiency of up to 99.6%. Future work aims to form block copolymers in an effort to enhance the surface properties of stainless steel 316L.

Surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) for corrosion resistant surfaces on stainless steel 316L

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

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