Experimental and DFT studies of gadolinium decorated graphene oxide materials for their redox properties and as a corrosion inhibition barrier layer on Mg AZ13 alloy in a 3.5% NaCl environment.

Magnesium alloys are broadly used worldwide in various applications; however, the serious disadvantage of these alloys are subject to corrosion and in aggressive/corrosive environments. A coating containing gadolinium-based composite materials can increase the alloy protection by strong electron transfer between the host alloy and the lanthanide-containing protective layer. This investigation aims to develop a Gd nanorod functionalised graphene oxide material as a corrosion inhibition barrier on the Mg alloy surface. The obtained functional materials were characterised by various spectroscopy techniques. The corrosion inhibition and composite material stability were studied by the electrochemical methods. The electrochemical stability was shown to increase with the applied current. The hydrogen evolution constantly increased and the corrosion inhibition significantly improved. Also, the computational studies of the material were performed, and their results support the experimental findings. Overall, the resultant composite material's corrosion resistance and cyclic stability are improved, and it could be used as a sodium-ion battery cathode material due to its high reversibility.