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Smart self-repairing protective coatings

26 September 2008
Daria V. Andreeva and Dmitry G. Shchukin

Nanocontainers with a shell possessing controlled release properties can be used to fabricate a new family of active coatings that can respond quickly to changes in the coating environment or the coating's integrity.

A new generation of anticorrosion coatings that both possesses passive matrix functionality and actively responds to changes in the local environment has prompted great interest from material scientists. Corrosion is one of the most major destruction processes involved in material loss, and its prevention is paramount in protecting investments. Active corrosion protection aims to restore material properties (functionality) when the passive coating matrix is broken and corrosion of substrate has started. The coating has to release the active and repairing material within a short time after the coating integrity has been breached. This acts as a local trigger for the mechanism that heals the defect.

 

This article is featured in:
Characterization  •  Metals and alloys  •  Nanotechnology