Processable poly(2-butylaniline)/hexagonal boron nitride nanohybrids for synergetic anticorrosive reinforcement of epoxy coating

Highlights: • Exfoliation of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) in THF was achieved with poly(2-butylaniline). • Epoxy coating filled with dispersed h-BN showed enhanced corrosion protection. - Abstract: Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), a structural analogue of graphene, is a better alternative for anticorrosive coatings because of its electrical insulation properties. In this work, few-layer h-BN nanosheets are obtained by the exfoliation of stacked h-BN powders with poly(2-butyl aniline) (PBA) and incorporated into epoxy coatings for protecting metallic substrate against corrosion. Results show that as prepared composite coatings exhibit high impedance modulus and low water absorption, suggesting their superior performance of corrosion protection owing to the "labyrinth effect" of h-BN and passivation effect of PBA on the metal substrates.