| Summary: | This research paper presents the fabrication of epoxy coatings along with the hybrid combination of SiO<sub>2</sub> and ZrO<sub>2</sub>. The epoxy resin is incorporated with SiO<sub>2</sub> as the primary pigment and ZrO<sub>2</sub> as the synergist pigment. The study delves into the adhesion, barrier, and anti-corrosion properties of these coatings, enriched with silica and zirconium nanoparticles, and investigates their impact on the final properties of the epoxy coating. The epoxy resin, a Diglycidyl ether bisphenol-A (DGEBA) type, is cured with a polyamidoamine adduct-based curing agent. To evaluate the protective performance of silica SiO<sub>2</sub> and zirconia ZrO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles in epoxy coatings, the coated samples were tested in a 3.5% NaCl solution. The experimental results clearly demonstrate a remarkable improvement in the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS), and Elastic Modulus. In comparison to using SiO<sub>2</sub> separately, the incorporation of both ZrO<sub>2</sub> and SiO<sub>2</sub> resulted in a substantial increase of 43.5% in UTS, 74.2% in YS, and 8.2% in Elastic Modulus. The corrosion test results revealed that the combination of DGEBA, SiO<sub>2</sub>, and ZrO<sub>2</sub> significantly enhanced the anti-corrosion efficiency of the organic coatings. Both these pigments exhibited superior anti-corrosion effects and mechanical properties compared to conventional epoxy coatings, leading to a substantial increase in the anti-corrosion efficiency of the developed coating. This research focuses the potential of SiO<sub>2</sub> and ZrO<sub>2</sub> in hybrid combination for applications, where mechanical, corrosion and higher adhesion to the substrates are of prime importance.
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