Anti-corrosion coating using prepared binary self-healing epoxy microcapsules

Abstract Self-healing materials possess the capacity to repair or mend themselves either by inherent response or under external stimuli and one of the most important approaches in self-healing is encapsulation. In this study, poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) microcapsules containing epoxy resin and amine hardener have been successfully synthesized via solvent evaporating technique with core/shell ratio of 1:1, agitation speed 500 rpm, temperature of 40 °C and 3% wt. of surfactant concertation. The synthesized system is binary for self-healing anti-corrosion coating purposes. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Optical microscope (OM), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the microcapsules and monitor the healing process. A corrosion resistance test has been done for a stainless steel substrate after coated with epoxy mixed with four percentages (0, 10, 15, and 20 wt. %) of equal quantities from prepared microcapsules (resin/hardener). The results showed that the corrosion of the coated specimen decrease with increasing microcapsules percentage which indicates that the self-healing system worked successfully.