pH-responsive nanostructured polyaniline capsules for self-healing corrosion protection: The influence of capsule concentration

Nanostructured hollow polyaniline (PANI) capsules are good candidates for encapsulation of corrosion inhibitors and pH-responsive release when incorporated into organic coatings. In previous studies, the corrosion protection performance of PANI capsules, containing organic inhibitor 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), was demonstrated. The present work studies the influence of capsule concentrations (i.e., 0.3, 1, and 2 wt%) on the corrosion protection properties of the coating system. Anti-corrosion properties of different coatings were compared by means of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Scanning Vibrating Electrode Technique (SVET). MBT loaded PANI capsules in epoxy ester coating on AA2024-T3 substrate allow for a self-healing effect to be obtained during the corrosion process. The results showed that the concentration of MBT loaded PANI capsules greatly influences the corrosion protection properties of the coatings, and the best corrosion protection performance was observed for the coating system containing 1 wt% PANI capsules. The impedance value of the scratched area of this coating after 7 days of immersion was one order of magnitude higher than that of the control sample.