Fabrication of diisocyanate microcapsules for self-healing anti-corrosion coatings via integrating electrospraying and interfacial polymerization

Abstract

Epoxy resins serve as useful material in anti-corrosion coatings. However, the development of microcracks during the processing or service life of a coating is an inevitable occurrence that markedly degrades its performance and shortens its lifespan. The incorporation of self-healing materials can prolong the coatings' lifespan and enhance the reliability of corrosion prevention processes. In this study, a microencapsulation method via integrating electrospraying and interfacial polymerization (ES-IP) was adopted to synthesize the microcapsules containing 4,4’-bis-methylene cyclohexane diisocyanate (HMDI) successfully. The self-healing capability of these microcapsules within the anti-corrosion coating was successfully validated. The prepared HMDI microcapsules (HMDI-MCs) demonstrate excellent dispersibility, tunable characteristics, and a high core material content of 93 wt%. Self-healing anti-corrosion coatings containing HMDI-MCs were prepared and underwent accelerated corrosion testing in sodium chloride (NaCl) solution. The result showed that HMDI is capable of leaking from microcapsules and undergoing solidification, thus forming a barrier to metal steel from corrosion hazards by endowing the coatings with effective self-healing abilities. This paper expands the application of the ES-IP technique in microencapsulation and suggests that HMDI-MCs have significant potential in self-healing anti-corrosion coating.