Lamellar Ag-modified Ti3C2Tx MXene enabled by electrophoresis for multifunctional anticorrosion epoxy coatings

A multifunctional epoxy coating featuring long-term corrosion protection, antibacterial activity, and improved mechanical robustness was achieved via electrophoresis-driven alignment of Ag-APTES + /MX nanosheets. Positively charged Ag-APTES + /MX fillers were prepared via APTES functionalization and in situ Ag deposition, enabling cathodic electrophoretic deposition to form a substrate-parallel lamellar architecture within the epoxy matrix (Ag-APTES + /MX-EP). Compared with randomly dispersed fillers (R-Ag-APTES + /MX-EP), the aligned MXene network constructs a more continuous and highly tortuous diffusion barrier, markedly increasing resistance to the ingress of corrosive species. After 60 days of immersion in 3.5 wt% NaCl, the low-frequency impedance modulus of Ag-APTES + /MX-EP increased by one order of magnitude relative to the randomly oriented counterpart. Wear tests suggested that the ordered lamellar structure provides more effective stress distribution under shear and indentation, leading to a more stable tribological response than the randomly oriented counterpart. In addition, Ag incorporation provides antibacterial activity, achieving an antibacterial efficiency of 77.11 ± 1.87% against Escherichia coli , significantly higher than that of Ag-free APTES + /MX (34.33 ± 2.75%). Overall, the directionally aligned Ag-APTES + /MX architecture synergistically delivers long-term barrier protection and Ag-assisted antimicrobial defense, offering a promising strategy for marine protective coatings.