Development of self-healing coating with capsules containing healing agent for corrosion protection of metal

Abstract

In a previous study, self-healing polyurethane coatings with microcapsules containing healing agents have been developed for the protection of metal from corrosion. At the initial stage of the development of these coatings, we synthesized the microcapsules containing healing agents by adding organic solvents to inhibit the solidification of the whole capsule. In this study, the structure of the capsules formed with different solvents, such as chlorobenzene, toluene and xylene was examined. We also evaluated the self-healing ability of coatings with these capsules after damaging the coating by scratching. The amount of healing agents contained in capsules depends on the kind and the amount of solvents added. In the capsule formed with 20 or 50 wt%-chlorobenzene, there is almost no healing agent of liquid phase, while in the capsule formed with 70 wt%-chlorobenzen healing agents are contained. Toluene and xylene are more effective inhibitors than chlorobenzene. The capsule formed with 70 wt%-toluene or xylene contains much more amounts of the healing agent of liquid phase than that formed with 70 %-chlorobenzene, and the coatings with the former capsules have an appreciable self-healing ability.