B.P. Pearman, X. Zhang, D. Campbell, V. Scarborough, S. Dickey
SynMatter,
United States
Keywords: smart coatings, corrosion protection, protective coatings, marine
Summary:
Protective coatings are the first line of defense against corrosion with corrosion inhibitors added extend performance. Over the years many effective inhibitors, such as lead and chromates, were found to be harmful to the environment and human health, and subsequently banned. The current corrosion inhibitor workhorse, zinc phosphate, is a known marine pollutant and doesn’t deliver the desired performance. Smart Particles are a NASA developed new class of patented smart coating additives impart high levels of corrosion resistance to solventborne, waterborne and powder protective coatings. The smart additives release environmentally friendly and effective corrosion inhibitors on-demand in response to the onset of corrosion itself, delivering targeted protecting directly to corrosive sites. In laboratory corrosion and 2 year atmospheric exposure testing at NASA Kennedy Space Center corrosion test site, they have demonstrated outstanding corrosion protection performance in solventborne MIL-Spec and commercial coatings, potentially increasing protective coating lifetime up to 100%. These heavy-metal free smart additives can be formulated into coatings or post-added. They have the potential to significantly reduce maintenance costs for the marine, oil & gas, defense and infrastructure industries. As replacements for zinc and other harmful inhibitors, the minimize the impact of corrosion inhibitors to applicators and users, and the environment at end-of life disposal.