TiO2 nanotubes and mesoporous silica as containers in self-healing epoxy coatings

Poornima Vijayan P; Mariam Ali S A Al-Maadeed

doi:10.1038/srep38812

TiO₂ nanotubes and mesoporous silica as containers in self-healing epoxy coatings

Sci Rep. 2016 Dec 12:6:38812. doi: 10.1038/srep38812.

Authors

Poornima Vijayan P¹, Mariam Ali S A Al-Maadeed^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
² Materials Science and Technology Program, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.

Abstract

The potential of inorganic nanomaterials as reservoirs for healing agents is presented here. Mesoporous silica (SBA-15) and TiO₂ nanotubes (TNTs) were synthesized. Both epoxy-encapsulated TiO₂ nanotubes and amine-immobilized mesoporous silica were incorporated into epoxy and subsequently coated on a carbon steel substrate. The encapsulated TiO₂ nanotubes was quantitatively estimated using a 'dead pore ratio' calculation. The morphology of the composite coating was studied in detail using transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis. The self-healing ability of the coating was monitored using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS); the coating recovered 57% of its anticorrosive property in 5 days. The self-healing of the scratch on the coating was monitored using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results confirmed that the epoxy pre-polymer was slowly released into the crack. The released epoxy pre-polymer came into contact with the amine immobilized in mesoporous silica and cross-linked to heal the scratch.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't