Design of novel Ce-MOF with synergistic inhibition for active corrosion protection of aluminum alloys

Corrosion protection of high-strength aluminum alloys remains a critical challenge, especially for applications in marine and aerospace environments. This work reports BIPT-6, a new cerium-based metal-organic framework designed for sustainable corrosion protection of AA2024 aluminum alloy. BIPT-6 contains both Ce(III) and Ce(IV) ions and is constructed with 2,5-furandicarboxylate (FDA²⁻), a biomass-derived ligand, through a simple one-pot solvothermal method. The structure and composition were verified by a series of advanced characterization methods. BIPT-6 crystallizes in a monoclinic system with space group P2_1/n. The protective ability of novel BIPT-6 was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It demonstrated good corrosion inhibition efficiency for the AA2024 aluminum alloy samples immersed in 0.05 mol/L NaCl solution containing 5 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L BIPT-6. Finally, BIPT-6 was applied as an additive to epoxy resin to prepare anti-corrosive coatings. The EIS results show that BIPT-6@Epoxy coating system provides a superior corrosion protection and stability to aluminum alloy AA2024 compared to blank coating. The corrosion inhibition mechanism of BIPT-6 was also investigated, highlighting its synergistic effect from dual corrosion inhibitors. This work showcased BIPT-6 as a promising approach for sustainable, smart corrosion protection strategies in aluminum alloys.