Niobia Nanofiber-Reinforced Protective Niobium Oxide/Acrylate Nanocomposite Coatings

[Image: see text] In the present study, the corrosion resistance of a new niobium oxide/acrylate hybrid nanocomposite coating doped with niobia nanofibers is investigated. Nanofibers were initially synthesized from niobium(V) chloride precursor in a novel autoclave approach before fabricating the base coating from a two-step process involving the syntheses of acrylate resin via free radical polymerization and niobium oxide gel from niobium ethoxide via a sol–gel technique. Variants of the synthesized nanocomposite coating were incorporated with varying concentrations of niobia nanofibers before spin-coating on Q235 steel substrates to inhibit corrosive electrolytic ion percolation and further enhance corrosion resistance when treated with chloride-enriched corrosive media. The corrosion resistance of these nanocomposite coatings increased with nanofiber content up to an optimum concentration due to the corrosion-inhibiting and protective effects of niobium barrier layers within these coatings. The presence of the niobia nanofibers also promoted improved surface contact angle and toughened mechanical strengths.