The wax leakage from shape-stabilized phase change materials (SSPCMs) is a limitation because it reduces their functionality. In this work, an enhancement of the compositional stability of SSPCMs formed by high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and paraffin wax blends through a lamination by aluminum (Al) foil was studied. The materials' thermal conductivity was enhanced by adding expanded graphite (EG). The lamination of SSPCMs is the simplest method of reducing leakage, but it suffers from poor adhesion between polymer-based blends and protecting layers. The improved adhesion between SSPCMs and Al foil was achieved by adding 2 wt.% of maleated polyethylene (PE) acting as an adhesion promoter into SSPCMs or by plasma treatment of both SSPCMs and Al surfaces. Microscopic, spectroscopic, and optical techniques were used to analyze the surface and adhesion properties of SSPCMs. The peel resistance of SSPCMs after plasma treatment or modification by maleated PE increased from 2.2 N/m to 7.2 N/m or 55.1 N/m, respectively. The wax leakage from the treated or modified SSPCMs was suppressed significantly. The plasma-treated or maleated PE-modified SSPCMs showed leakage of 0.5 wt.% or 0.2 wt.%, respectively, after three days of leakage test. It indicates a good potential of this treatment/modification for industrially applied SSPCMs.

Corrosion is a significant problem and is, to a large extent, responsible for the degradation of metallic parts. In this direction, mesoporous silica particles (MSPs) were synthesized by a sol–gel technique and had an average pore diameter of ∼6.82 nm. The MSPs were loaded with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and epoxy monomers and, after that, carefully mixed into the epoxy matrix to formulate new modified polymeric coatings. The microstructural, compositional, structural, and thermal properties were investigated using various characterizing tools [Transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, hermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy]. TGA confirms the loading of mesoporous silica with a corrosion inhibitor, and its estimated loading amount is ∼8%. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy properties of the reference and modified coated samples confirm the promising anti-corrosive performance of the synthesized polymeric smart coatings. Localized electrochemical tests (scanning vibrating electrode technique and scanning ion-selective electrode technique) evidence the corrosion inhibition ability of the coating, and its self-healing was also observed during 24 h of immersion. The decent anti-corrosion performance of the modified coatings can be credited to the efficient synergistic effect of the PEI and epoxy monomer.

High strength low alloy (HSLA) steels demonstrate improved mechanical and anticorrosion properties when compared to plain carbon steels. HSLA steels have succeeded to find their major applications in industries such as defense (gun barrel, turret), food, component manufacturing, wind tunnels, power generation, and water jet cutting, etc. There are significant economic benefits to develop novel materials to mitigate the harmful effects of corrosion. At the same time, the corrosion challenges have also been addressed using various kinds of inhibitors. The corrosion inhibitors are commonly added to the corrosive medium in order to reduce their aggressive attack on the materials to improve their inhibition performance. The smart corrosion protection leads to secure our natural resources, time, efforts, energy and will also ensure a safe operation. The aim of this research work is to study the corrosion behavior of high strength low alloy steel (APIX120) in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution containing different concentrations of diethylenetriamine (DETA). The electrochemical behavior of HSLA steel was investigated at room temperature using potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and weight loss techniques. In addition, the adsorption isotherm, activation energy and other thermodynamic parameters were calculated from the electrochemical results. The corrosion products formed on the surface of the steel were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, surface topography and surface roughness of un-corroded and rusted samples were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to elucidate the effect of the aggressive media on the corrosion performance of HSLA steel. Our study discloses that the inhibition efficiency of HSLA steel increases with increasing concentration of DETA in 3.5% NaCl solution.