Redox Responsive Release of Hydrophobic Self-Healing Agents from Polyaniline Capsules

Redox-responsive nanocapsules consisting of conductive polyaniline and polypyrrole shells were successfully synthesized by using the interface of miniemulsion droplets as a template for oxidative polymerizations. The redox properties of the capsules were investigated by optical spectroscopies, electron microscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. Self-healing (SH) chemicals such as diglycidyl ether or dicarboxylic acid terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-DE or PDMS-DC) were encapsulated into the nanocapsules during the miniemulsion process and their redox-responsive release was monitored by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The polyaniline capsules exhibited delayed release under oxidation and rapid release under reduction, which make them promising candidates for anticorrosion applications

James Cook viaje al Polo Sur y alrededor del mundo (fragmento)

A new generation of nanosensors based on mesoporous silica nanocapsules with the ability to monitor the onset of metallic corrosion is successfully developed and tested on 304 stainless steel. The core of the nanocapsules contains water insoluble organic molecules that fluoresce during the anodic dissolution of metallic substrates in the corrosion process. The dispersion of the nanosensors in organic coatings applied on metal substrate allows a very sensitive fluorescent detection of the initiation of metal dissolution, close to defects in the substrate. This promising concept offers therefore new perspectives for the development of smart coatings for corrosion sensing

Initiation and Inhibition of Dealloying of Single Crystalline Cu₃Au (111) Surfaces

Dealloying is widely utilized but is a dangerous corrosion process as well. Here we report an atomistic picture of the initial stages of electrochemical dealloying of the model system Cu₃Au (111). We illuminate the structural and chemical changes during the early stages of dissolution up to the critical potential, using a unique combination of advanced surface-analytical tools. Scanning tunneling microscopy images indicate an interlayer exchange of topmost surface atoms during initial dealloying, while scanning Auger-electron microscopy data clearly reveal that the surface is fully covered by a continuous Au-rich layer at an early stage. Initiating below this first layer a transformation from stacking-reversed toward substrate-oriented Au surface structures is observed close to the critical potential. We further use the observed structural transitions as a reference process to evaluate the mechanistic changes induced by a thiol-based model-inhibition layer applied to suppress surface diffusion. The initial ultrathin Au layer is stabilized with the intermediate island morphology completely suppressed, along an anodic shift of the breakdown potential. Thiol-modification induces a peculiar surface microstructure in the form of microcracks exhibiting a nanoporous core. On the basis of the presented atomic-scale observations, an interlayer exchange mechanism next to pure surface diffusion becomes obvious which may be controlling the layer thickness and its later change in orientation