Particle size modification of zinc oxide for composite coating application: Assessment on morphology structure and super-hydrophobic properties

In this work, a simple and inexpensive method to formulate nanomodified ZnO for composite coating application was presented. The ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by mechanical method with various ball to powder ratio (BPR) 5:1, 10:1, and 15:1, designated as n-ZnO-51, n-ZnO-101, and n-ZnO-151, respectively. The prepared powder has been investigated for its structure and super-hydrophobic properties. The crystal structure of ZnO was analyzed by X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) and investigated by Rietveld refinement. The particle size of Nano ZnO was determined by Particle Size Analyzer (PSA) and investigated on their hydrophobicity by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results show that the wurtzite structure of n-ZnO-51 has the smallest particle size of prepared powders. The hydroxyl group of n-ZnO-51 modified by stearic acid (SA) was substituted by carboxyl group of SA on the surface of n-ZnO-51. The hydrophobic group (-CH3) of SA formed onto the surface of n-ZnO-51 so that the super-hydrophobic properties were successfully reached. It is supposed that the low-cost method offers a promising approach to manufacture anti-corrosion composite coating materials on the steel surface.