Abstract:

The high hydrophobic properties for fluorinated polymers and metal-organic frameworks are useful for oil spill containment, hydrocarbon storage, carbon capture, and oxygen delivery, among other applications. Other potential benefits of this material type are being investigated such as coating materials to protect low-carbon steel (LCS) and aluminum substrates. Corrosion is one of the most expensive failures that take place for metals and other construction materials, responsible for $276 billion loss in the US alone. LCS and aluminum are commonly used metallic construction materials, possessing favorable properties, yet exhibiting low corrosion resistance. My research is focus on investigation the utilization of a fluorinated copper-pyrazolate trimer (Cu trimer) and other fluorinated polymers as a coating to prevent the corrosion of LCS and Al substrates. Other project that I'm working on is developing a new corrosion detection system by employing novel environmental sensitive luminescent molecular systems. These novel materials exhibit drastic changes in their optical properties with respect to changes in pH, humidity, temperature and also oxygen levels, thereby allowing for detection of different types of corrosion at very early stages which can allow for stopping of corrosion by applying coating or adding a corrosion inhibitor. Presence of such an early detection sensor would be highly cost effective as it would allow for detection and replacement at very early stages of onset of corrosion. Such molecular systems can be easily embedded in to coating materials for continuous real-time structural monitoring of heavy equipment, bridges, pipes, and power plants. Absence of strong-capable monitoring systems that can detect corrosion can result in huge economic loss that will have direct societal and economic impact.