Study of Organosilicon Films Deposited on SAE 1020 Steel by Atmospheric Plasma Jet for Corrosion Protection

Abstract

Organosilicon films were deposited on SAE 1020 steel by an atmospheric pressure plasma jet system using hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) monomer as a polymerizing agent. Several experimental parameters, such as deposition mode (continuous or alternated), deposition time, and number of deposition steps, were varied to obtain stable coatings with improved corrosion resistance. To evaluate the surface characteristics of the obtained films, the following analyses were performed: water contact angle (WCA) measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Additionally, some electrochemical analyses like open circuit potential (OCP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and linear potentiodynamic polarization measurements were carried out to evaluate the corrosion resistance and the stability of the obtained films. From these results, it can be concluded that the corrosion resistance of the coated samples increased significantly when compared to the pristine SAE 1020 steel. Moreover, the three-step deposition process was more efficient in promoting corrosion resistance than the continuous film deposition.