A method for preparing a hybrid inorganic-organic nanostructured inhibitive pigment, includes premixing a first stock solution containing one or more cations and a second stock solution containing one or more oxoanions to form a premixture under pH control in the presence of polymers as surface modifiers. The premixture is then reacted to form a slurry. The slurry is then quenched to separate nanoparticles from the slurry, followed by surface functionalization in organic inhibitors.