Abstract

Smart coatings based on polymer matrix doped with carbon nanoparticles, such as carbon nanotubes or graphene, are being widely studied. The addition of carbon nanofillers into organic coatings usually enhances their performance, increasing their barrier properties, corrosion resistance, hardness, and wear strength. Moreover, the developed composites provide a new generation of protective organic coatings, being able to intelligently respond to damage or external stimuli. Carbon nanoparticles induce new functionalities to polymer coatings, most of them related to the higher electrical conductivity of nanocomposite due to the formation of percolation network. These coatings can be used as strain sensors and gauges, based on the variation of their electrical resistance (structural health monitoring, SHM). In addition, they act as self-heaters by the application of electrical voltage associated to resistive heating by Joule effect. This opens new potential applications, particularly deicing and defogging coatings. Superhydrophobic and self-cleaning coatings are inspired from lotus effect, designing micro- and nanoscaled hierarchical surfaces. Coatings with self-healable polymer matrix are able to repair surface damages. Other relevant smart capabilities of these new coatings are flame retardant, lubricating, stimuli-chromism, and antibacterial activity, among others.

Highlights

  • Smart coatings are special covering materials which are able to sense and respond to an external stimulus

  • We focused on the addition of carbon nanoparticles, mainly graphene (G), graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), and carbon nanotubes (CNT)

  • This has been observed in both GNP and CNT nanocomposites, where the contents near the percolation threshold achieved the highest gauge factor (GF) [34, 35]

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Summary

Introduction

Smart coatings are special covering materials which are able to sense and respond to an external stimulus. Have extraordinary electrical and thermal conductivity and a unique combination of mechanical properties with great stiffness and high toughness [1–6] They are composed of carbon, exhibiting low toxicity and environmental friendliness. Polymer nanocomposites reinforced with carbon nanoparticles usually present enhanced mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties together with new performance as smart materials. They can act as strain sensors due to their piezoresistive behavior, varying the electrical resistance of composite induced by the deformation of the electrical network formed by graphitic nanofillers. The nanofillers can be used as actuators, for example, as self-heater due to Joule’s heating or as chemical absorbents In this case, the matrix is a neat stimulus-responsive polymer, while the carbon nanofillers provide the stimuli to induce the polymer response

Synthesis and processing
Properties of nanocomposite polymer coatings
Smart nanocomposite coatings
Fundamentals of SHM with carbon nanoparticles
Sensitivity of polymer-based nanocomposites
SHM in nanocomposite coatings
Fundamentals of self-heating by Joule effect
Self-heating as deicing system
Self-curing coatings
Self-healing coatings
Findings
Conclusions
Full Text
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