A single application of a "smart" self-repairing coating is being developed to dramatically extend rust protection for buildings, bridges, cars and other steel components.
University of Queensland nanomaterials experts have engineered powderlike particles that can turn water-based paint into self-repairing corrosion shields with the potential to slow rusting by more than 600 times compared with existing high-performance coatings.
Nanoarchitect Dr. Asep Nugraha said the particles were effectively tiny containers that released rust-inhibiting molecules to protect damaged areas of the coating.
"All rustproof coatings inevitably wear down over time; there is no stopping that," Nugraha, from UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), said.
"What we have created is a barrier that is constantly sensing if something is wrong so it can patch any scrapes and cracks itself, greatly extending the duration of protection."
The study is published in the journal Small Science.
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