This study reports a strategy for further simplifying the synthesis process of polyaniline-modified graphene (An/G) nanocomposite. For this purpose, the An/G nanocomposite was prepared by expanded graphite (EG) and aniline (An) via in situ polymerization. The structures and morphologies of the An/G nanocomposite were examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The results show that the An/G nanocomposite was synthesized successfully. The coatings were prepared using polyaniline (PANI) and An/G as the fillers and epoxy resin as the matrix. The anti-corrosion performance was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Tafel polarization curve and salt immersion test. When An/G100 nanocomposite with a mass ratio of An to EG of 100:1 as a filler is used, the coating on the steel exhibited superior anti-corrosion effect. In particular, the impedance at 0.01 Hz of the coating with the An/G100 nanocomposite at a low loading of 2 wt% (An/G100-2) remained constant above 1 × 1010 Ω·cm2 for up to 35 days in 3.5 wt% sodium chloride solution. The Tafel plots reveal that the undamaged zone of the An/G100-2 coating possessed a high corrosion potential of −0.16 V, and the corrosion current density was only 1.5 × 10−11 A cm−2. The protective mechanism of graphene and PANI is discussed.
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