Designing a Ti3C2Tx MXene with long-term antioxidant stability for high-performance anti-corrosion coatings

Two-dimensional titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXene has many distinctive advantages, including high conductivity, energy-storing, catalysis, etc. In particular, its accordion-like lamellar structure could provide excellent barrier properties to corrosive agents, which exhibit potential application value for anti-corrosion coatings. However, the problem that MXenes are susceptible to oxidative degradation in an aggressive environment limits its further application in the field of corrosion prevention. Herein, in our work for the first time, an effective method was developed for protecting sensitive Ti3C2Tx MXene against oxidation by imidazolium salt modification (I-Ti3C2Tx), which considerably increased MXene antioxidant stability. The crystalline structure of I-Ti3C2Tx remained unaltered in an aqueous solution for 30 days and kept the lamellar structure for a long period. Simultaneously, 1.0 wt% I-Ti3C2Tx/EP could provide excellent anti-corrosion protection. A new synergistic mechanism for improving antioxidant stability and anti-corrosion property of I-Ti3C2Tx/EP coatings was developed and clarified based on the free radical scavenging ability of imidazolium ions and the chemical characteristics of MXene.