Image used for representation only
Sydney: Researchers in Australia are developing a "smart", self-healing coating that could dramatically extend rust protection for steel structures, including buildings, bridges, and cars.
The powder-like particles, designed by nanoarchitects at Australia's University of Queensland (UQ), can turn water-based paint into self-repairing corrosion shields, with nanoparticles acting as tiny containers that release rust-inhibiting molecules when damage is detected on the coating surface, according to a UQ statement released Wednesday.
Electrochemical testing indicated the new self-healing coating could restrict corrosion to 37 nanometers per year, 600 times more effective than many existing high-performance rust-protection products, which report an ability to restrict annual corrosion to 0.025 mm, according to the study published in Small Science.
"What we have created is a barrier that is constantly sensing if something is wrong so it can patch any scrapes and cracks itself, greatly extending the duration of protection," said UQ researcher Asep Nugraha.
The researchers encased the common rust inhibitor benzotriazole in a nanostructure that, when added to waterborne polyurethane coatings, creates a composite with an extreme responsivity to changes in acidity.
"It is not a coating that will last forever, but coatings that contain our technology will have a greatly expanded lifetime, meaning far less maintenance and a much longer time between applications," Nugraha said, adding that researchers aim to produce a commercial product within the next five years.
