Graphene-based anti-corrosion coating is an important direction for upgrading anti-corrosion coating technology and has broad future development prospects.

Graphene-based anti-corrosion coating is an anti-corrosion coating made of graphene as a filler and polymer as a matrix. Commonly used polymers include epoxy resin, polyurethane, polyaniline, etc. Adding graphene to the polymer can modify the polymer. At the same time, graphene, as a nanomaterial, can also reduce structural defects in the coating, thereby preventing corrosion of the protected material. Compared with traditional marine anti-corrosion coatings, the service life of graphene-based anti-corrosion coatings can be at least doubled.

Corrosion problem is one of the important factors causing national economic losses. Anti-corrosion coatings are an important solution. They mainly include conventional anti-corrosion coatings and heavy-duty anti-corrosion coatings. They are widely used in various fields of the national economy, including industry, transportation, energy, and ocean. Engineering etc. From the perspective of marine engineering, seawater containing chloride ions will cause corrosion to the material surface. At the same time, there are a large number of organisms in the ocean that will adhere to the material surface and also cause corrosion. Our country is developing into a maritime power. The scale of offshore oil and gas development, offshore wind power and other industries continues to expand. Moreover, our country is the world’s largest producer of containers and ships. There is a large demand for marine anti-corrosion coatings in these fields.

According to the “In-depth Market Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report on China’s Graphene-Based Anticorrosive Coatings Industry from 2022 to 2027” released by the Industrial Research Center It shows that graphene has the characteristics of large specific surface area, strong barrier properties, good mechanical properties, stable chemical properties, and excellent electrical conductivity. Graphene has a large specific surface area and excellent hydrophobicity; it can be fully dispersed in anti-corrosion coatings, fills the gaps, and forms excellent barrier properties; it has good electrical conductivity and can hinder the corrosion reaction of metal anodes in seawater; it has the characteristics of high strength and good flexibility , can improve the wear resistance of anti-corrosion coatings. Generally speaking, graphene-based anti-corrosion coatings have the advantages of good hydrophobicity, excellent oxygen/chloride ion isolation, corrosion retardation, strong wear resistance, and long service life. They are an important direction for upgrading anti-corrosion coating technology.

From an upstream perspective, graphene is a strategic new material. With the support of national policies, the number of graphene-related companies in my country continues to increase, and the number of patent applications continues to increase. However, the current commercial application of graphene in my country is not ideal. The application field is mainly concentrated in consumer electronics heat dissipation. Most companies mainly produce graphene, graphene powder, graphene film and other products. There are sufficient raw materials for the development of the graphene-based anti-corrosion coating industry, and as my country’s graphene production capacity continues to increase, the cost of raw materials continues to decrease.

From a downstream perspective, my country’s demand for anti-corrosion coatings is strong. Since 2012, except for a few years in 2016 and 2020, the size of my country’s anti-corrosion coatings market has shown an overall upward trend, with the market size reaching about 133 billion yuan in 2021. In the field of marine coatings in my country, the market share of marine anti-corrosion coatings has reached more than 80% and is an important part of anti-corrosion coatings. In 2021, my country’s marine anticorrosive coatings market size will be approximately 43.6 billion yuan. If graphene-based anticorrosive coatings can be commercialized on a large scale in the future, there will be huge room for market development.

Industry analysts said that anti-corrosion coatings are indispensable in the development of the national economy, especially in order to develop a maritime power. Marine anti-corrosion Coatings are becoming increasingly important. my country’s anti-corrosion coating production capacity is constantly increasing, but among the companies with the highest market share, foreign brands still occupy a large share, especially in the field of marine anti-corrosion coatings, PPG, International Paint, Hempel, Jotun, Kansai Foreign brands such as paints are in a dominant position. The development of graphene-based anti-corrosion coatings will help my country’s anti-corrosion coatings industry achieve overtaking in corners and increase market share.