Anticorrosion behavior of cyclodextrins/inhibitor nanocapsule-based self-healing coatings

The self-healing anticorrosion property of coating containing cyclodextrins/inhibitor nanocontainers was investigated by SEM, TEM, salt spray, and EIS measurements. The influences of cyclodextrin type (α-CD, β-CD and γ-CD) and nanocapsules diameter on the anticorrosive performance of the scratched samples were studied under salt spray conditions, which revealed that the coatings containing γ-CD/inhibitor nanocontainers with larger nanocapsules at room temperature demonstrated the best anticorrosion behavior. Inclusion complex formation of MBI or MBT with CDs led to encapsulated corrosion inhibitors which became active in corrosive electrolytes, and could slowly diffuse out of the host material to ensure continuous delivery of the inhibitors to corrosion sites and long-term corrosion protection. Additionally, the kinetics of the self-healing process characterized by EIS measurement was parametrically analyzed in an equivalent circuit when the coating was exposed to salt solution.