PbS-Decorated TiO2 Nanotubes via SILAR for Enhanced Wear and Corrosion Protection in Technical Coatings

Dhiflaoui, Hafedh; Choubani, Karim; Ghozlani, Jabeur; Sassi, Syrine; Zayani, Wissem; Hajjaji, Mohamed Aziz; Khezami, Lotfi; Salah, Mohamed; Gaidi, Mounir; Rabha, Mohamed Ben; Almeshaal, Mohammed A.; Hajjaji, Anouar

doi:10.3390/cryst16040254

Open AccessArticle

PbS-Decorated TiO₂ Nanotubes via SILAR for Enhanced Wear and Corrosion Protection in Technical Coatings

by

Hafedh Dhiflaoui

¹

,

Karim Choubani

²,

Jabeur Ghozlani

¹,

Syrine Sassi

³,

Wissem Zayani

¹,

Mohamed Aziz Hajjaji

³

,

Lotfi Khezami

⁴

,

Mohamed Salah

¹

,

Mounir Gaidi

⁵,

Mohamed Ben Rabha

^6,*

,

Mohammed A. Almeshaal

² and

Anouar Hajjaji

³

¹

Laboratoire de Mécanique, Matériaux et Procédés LR99ES05, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Université de Tunis, Tunis 1008, Tunisia

²

College of Engineering, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11432, Saudi Arabia

³

Laboratoire de Photovoltaïque, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l’Energie, Technopôle de Borj Cédria, BP 95, Hammam-Lif, Tunis 2050, Tunisia

⁴

Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11623, Saudi Arabia

⁵

Center of Advanced Research Materials, Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates

⁶

Laboratoire de Nanomatériaux et Systèmes pour Énergies Renouvelables, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l’Énergie, Technopôle de Borj-Cédria, BP 95, Hammam-Lif, Tunis 2050, Tunisia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Crystals 2026, 16(4), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16040254

Submission received: 20 January 2026 / Revised: 26 February 2026 / Accepted: 27 February 2026 / Published: 11 April 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crystaline TiO2 Nanotubes: From Production, Modification, to Innovative Applications)

Download

Browse Figures

Versions Notes

Abstract

TiO₂ nanotubes were synthesized using the anodization method on Ti foils and decorated with PbS nanoparticles by the SILAR method at different cycle numbers (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30). These samples were characterized using SEM, TEM, XRD, and microhardness tests. Morphologically, the PbS nanoparticles were evenly dispersed on TiO₂ nanotubes in the shape of small spheres. With an increase in the number of cycles, the size and shape of the nanoparticles increased. This also affected the structure and crystallinity of the PbS NPs, as the crystallite size of PbS increased. The in-depth analysis of the tribological characteristics of the coatings conducted using the scratch test allowed us to evaluate the adhesion of the coatings, a crucial aspect in determining their effectiveness and durability. Furthermore, we found that the wear resistance of the coatings increased with the number of PbS cycles up to 15 cycles. However, for the samples with higher size distribution and crystallite size, such as those with more than 15 cycles, the microhardness continued to decrease. This indicates that the addition of PbS can improve the durability of TiO₂ coatings, making them a potential candidate for advanced surface coatings in demanding engineering applications. Electrochemical measurements were conducted to assess the corrosion resistance of the samples. The electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) results revealed that the PbS/TiO₂ coatings with 15 deposition cycles exhibited the most effective corrosion resistance, with a dense and uniform distribution of PbS nanoparticles forming a compact barrier that effectively protects against corrosion. The charge transfer resistance (R_ct) and the absorption capacitance (Q_ab) values were higher for the 15-cycle sample (4.49 Ω·cm² and 0.9 Fsⁿ⁻¹cm⁻², respectively).

Keywords: TiO₂; nanotubes; PbS; SILAR; mechanical properties; tribological properties; anti-wear; anti-corrosion; protective coatings

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Dhiflaoui, H.; Choubani, K.; Ghozlani, J.; Sassi, S.; Zayani, W.; Hajjaji, M.A.; Khezami, L.; Salah, M.; Gaidi, M.; Rabha, M.B.; et al. PbS-Decorated TiO₂ Nanotubes via SILAR for Enhanced Wear and Corrosion Protection in Technical Coatings. Crystals 2026, 16, 254. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16040254

AMA Style

Dhiflaoui H, Choubani K, Ghozlani J, Sassi S, Zayani W, Hajjaji MA, Khezami L, Salah M, Gaidi M, Rabha MB, et al. PbS-Decorated TiO₂ Nanotubes via SILAR for Enhanced Wear and Corrosion Protection in Technical Coatings. Crystals. 2026; 16(4):254. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16040254

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dhiflaoui, Hafedh, Karim Choubani, Jabeur Ghozlani, Syrine Sassi, Wissem Zayani, Mohamed Aziz Hajjaji, Lotfi Khezami, Mohamed Salah, Mounir Gaidi, Mohamed Ben Rabha, and et al. 2026. "PbS-Decorated TiO₂ Nanotubes via SILAR for Enhanced Wear and Corrosion Protection in Technical Coatings" Crystals 16, no. 4: 254. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16040254

APA Style

Dhiflaoui, H., Choubani, K., Ghozlani, J., Sassi, S., Zayani, W., Hajjaji, M. A., Khezami, L., Salah, M., Gaidi, M., Rabha, M. B., Almeshaal, M. A., & Hajjaji, A. (2026). PbS-Decorated TiO₂ Nanotubes via SILAR for Enhanced Wear and Corrosion Protection in Technical Coatings. Crystals, 16(4), 254. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16040254

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

PbS-Decorated TiO₂ Nanotubes via SILAR for Enhanced Wear and Corrosion Protection in Technical Coatings

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI