Smart coating for corrosion protection by adopting nano particles

Nano containers with a shell possessing controlled release properties can be used to fabricate a new family of active coatings that can respond quickly to change the environment/integrity of the coatings. The release of corrosion inhibitors encapsulated within nano containers can prevent further corrosion. The structural evolutions and morphological characteristics of nano particles are investigated using XRD, SEM, FT-IR and AFM. The author reports an in situ encapsulation method demonstrating over an order of magnitude size reduction for the preparation of urea-formaldehyde capsules filled with a healing agent, linseed oil and corrosion inhibitors. Capsules with diameters as small as 30–40 μm are achieved using stirring techniques. Cracks in paint film were successfully healed when linseed oil and nanoparticles was released from microcapsules ruptured under stimulated mechanical action. Further linseed oil healed area was found to prevent corrosion of the substrate.