Due to its special two-dimensional lamellar structure, graphene possesses an excellent shielding effect, hydrophobic characteristics and large specific surface area, which can effectively isolate the internal structure from the external corrosive media. However, lamellar graphene is easy to stack and agglomerate, which limits its anti-corrosion performance. In this paper, cerium oxide-graphene oxide (CeO₂-GO) nanocomposites were prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis method. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were applied for microstructure examination, showing that a large number of nanoscale granular cerium oxide grew on the lamellar graphene oxide surface, which improved the dispersion performance of graphene inside the matrix. The anti-corrosion properties of the coating were analyzed and illustrated by open circuit potential (OCP), frequency response analysis, Tafel curve and Mott–Schottky curve. The results indicated that the CeO₂-GO (4:1) nanocomposite not only eliminated the agglomeration of graphene to some extent, but also prepared the graphene epoxy coating with good dispersion, which further promoted its anti-corrosion performance. The paper proposed a feasible solution for GO dispersion in cement-based materials and lays a solid theoretical foundation for the engineering application of cerium oxide-graphene oxide modified anticorrosive coating.

Graphene is a two-dimensional sheet of regular hexagonal honeycomb lattice formed by sp² hybrid orbital bonding, with only one layer thickness of a single atom, which is known as the “super king” of the 21st century. Previous studies have shown that cerium oxide-graphene oxide (CeO₂-GO(4:1)) nanocomposites eliminated the agglomeration of graphene to some extent and the CeO₂-GO(4:1) epoxy coating could be prepared with good anti-corrosion performance. In this paper, CeO₂-GO(4:1) nanocomposites were prepared by the hydrothermal synthesis method, and the three-electrode method was used for electrochemical tests. The state evolution of CeO₂-GO(4:1)/EP coating and the synergy between CeO₂-GO(4:1)/EP and corrosion inhibitor in simulated seawater solution with different concentrations (20%, 40%, 60%) were analyzed and illustrated by Optical Microscope (OM) characterization, Open Circuit Potential (OCP), Electrochemical alternating current Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Mott–Schottky curve and Tafel curve. The results indicated that CeO₂-GO(4:1) nanocomposites showed good corrosion resistance in a marine environment. This research lays a solid theoretical foundation for the application of cerium oxide-modified graphene oxide anticorrosive coating in marine engineering.

In this paper, the size and shape characteristics of desert sand particles were quantitatively investigated via a combination of X-CT scanning and spherical harmonics functions. The size characteristics of the desert sand particles were evaluated via the Length (L), Width (W), Thickness (T), and Volume equivalent spherical diameter (VESD). The average value of the VESD for the desert sand particle is 118.2 μm, which is much smaller than that of commonly used fine aggregate, and more than 90% particles are smaller than 150 μm. The overall shape of the desert sand particles was assessed with two aspect ratios: elongation (EI) and flatness (FI). Desert sand particles were classified into four categories: spheroid-shaped, oblate-shaped, prolate-shaped, and blade-shaped. The sphericity (S) values of the desert sand particles were distributed in a wider range, with an average sphericity of 0.85, much larger than that of commonly used fine aggregates. Through a combination of aspect ratios and sphericity analysis, it can be roughly concluded that the desert sand particles appear in more irregular shapes, but with relatively smooth surface morphology and less convex or concave parts.

The lamellar structure of graphene oxide and the filling effect of nano-cerium oxide particles together provide a good barrier and stability to coating. In this paper, cerium oxide-graphene oxide (4:1) nanocomposite was prepared by the hydrothermal synthesis method. The effect of cerium oxide–graphene oxide (4:1) nanocomposite on the anticorrosion properties of epoxy coating in simulated acid rain solution was studied by open circuit potential (OCP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Mott–Schottky curve, Tafel curve, and micromorphological characterization, in order to compare it with pure epoxy coating, graphene oxide epoxy coating, and cerium oxide epoxy coating. The obtained results showed that cerium oxide–graphene oxide (4:1) epoxy coating’s protection efficiency was as high as 98.62%. These results indicated that cerium oxide–graphene oxide modified anticorrosive coating had an excellent application prospect in an acid rain environment. Meanwhile, owing to the poor protection ability of epoxy resin and unstably hydrolysis product of CeO₂ to the acidic medium, the resistance of CeO₂–GO (4:1)/EP coating to acidic corrosive medium was relatively poorer than that of neutral and saline-alkali corrosive medium.