Polyaniline (PANI) was prepared by chemical oxidation of aniline for formation of stable colloidal suspension. The suspension was prepared by dispersion of PANI/HCOOH stock solution into acetonitrile. The stable suspension of positively charged PANI colloids was deposited by applying electrophoretic technique on the surface of copper sheet. The coatings obtained were adherent to the copper substrate. The effect of operating parameters such as the deposition time, the concentration of solids in the colloidal suspension, and the voltage applied were examined on the deposition efficiency. The efficacy of the coated layer in corrosion resistance was evaluated using potentiodynamic (Tafel) polarization with a scan rate of-500 to +500 mV. The annealed PANI coated layer showed the highest corrosion efficiency of 86.5% followed by the normal PANI coated layer with inhibition efficiency of 84.4%. The mean roughness and the 3-D morphology of the obtained coated layers from the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) were used to explain the surface energy of the coated layers. The rms values obtained for bare copper, annealed PANI coated layer, and the normal PANI coated layer were 63 nm, 182 nm, and 254 nm respectively. The characteristics of the coated surface were examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) which indicated a porous layer on the surface of the copper. The crystallographic structure of the coated layers were examined using XRD.
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