University of Sussex
Browse
nn-2020-036259.R1_.pdf (1.07 MB)

Hexagonal boron nitride for sulfur corrosion inhibition

Download (1.07 MB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 22:05 authored by Govind Chilkoor, Kalimuthu Jawaharraj, Bhuvan Vemuri, Alex Kutana, Manoj TripathiManoj Tripathi, Divya Kota, Taib Arif, Tobin Filleter, Alan DaltonAlan Dalton, Boris I Yakob, M Meyyappan, Muhammad M Rahman, Pulickel M Ajayan, Venkataramana Gadhamshetty
Corrosion by sulfur compounds is a long-standing challenge in many engineering applications. Specifically, designing a coating that protects metals from both abiotic and biotic forms of sulfur corrosion remains an elusive goal. Here we report that atomically thin layers (~4) of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) act as a protective coating to inhibit corrosion of the underlying copper (Cu) surfaces (~6–7-fold lower corrosion than bare Cu) in abiotic (sulfuric acid and sodium sulfide) and biotic (sulfate-reducing bacteria medium) environments. The corrosion resistance of hBN is attributed to its outstanding barrier properties to the corrosive species in diverse environments of sulfur compounds. Increasing the number of atomic layers did not necessarily improve the corrosion protection mechanisms. Instead, multilayers of hBN were found to upregulate the adhesion genes in Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20 cells, promote cell adhesion and biofilm growth, and lower the protection against biogenic sulfide attack when compared to the few layers of hBN. Our findings confirm hBN as the thinnest coating to resist diverse forms of sulfur corrosion.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

ACS Nano

ISSN

1936-0851

Publisher

American Chemical Society

Department affiliated with

  • Physics and Astronomy Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2020-11-09

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2021-10-27

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2020-11-08

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC