Soft template synthesis of poly(o-phenylenediamine) nanotubes and its application in self healing coatings

Poly(o-phenylenediamine) (PoPD) nanotubes were fabricated through chemical oxidative polymerization of o-phenylenediamine in cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) microemulsion polymerization using �-cyclodextrin (�-CD). Iron (III) chloride (FeCl3) was used as a structure directing agent as well as an oxidant. The polymer nanotubes thus synthesized were characterized by FTIR, UV–vis, NMR and XPS techniques and the surface morphology of nanotubes was analyzed by using SEM and TEM. A study has been made on the corrosion protection performance of mild steel by epoxy coating containing synthesized PoPD nanotubes using EIS technique and OCP measurements