Silane‐modified polyvinylimidazole(1) for corrosion protection on copper at elevated temperatures

Silane‐modified N‐polyvinylimidazole [PVI(1)] copolymers have been synthesized from various mole ratios of γ‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (γ‐MPS) and N‐vinylimidazole, VI(1). Fourier transform infrared reflection‐absorption spectroscopy (FTIR‐RAS) is used to investigate the modified PVI(1) on copper surfaces. The silane‐modified PVI(1) has good corrosion protection and adhesion promotion capabilities for copper substrate under severe environments. The relationship between coating thickness and corrosion protection is studied at elevated temperatures. The relationship between the mole ratio of comonomers and the corrosion processes of a copper surface has also been investigated at elevated temperatures. The corrosion protection improves drastically with increased VI(1) content. An adhesion study of the silane‐modified PVI(1) film on a copper surface is also carried out using the ASTM adhesive tape test. From the adhesion strengths between the modified PVI(1) films and copper surface, it has been observed that modified PVI(1) acts as an adhesion promoter and does not depend on the mole ratio of γ‐MPS/VI(1) within the range of this experiment. Good adhesion of an anticorrosion coating is important for the corrosion protection of a copper surface.