The research objective of this project is to develop non-toxic nanocontainers loaded with corrosion inhibitors so they can be admixed to paint. To protect metals from corrosion (ships, industrial machines, petroleum platforms) one admixes into coating paint chemicals called corrosion inhibitors. However, these protective additives are easily washed out or decomposed (especially in sea water) and metal surfaces become rusted. The idea of this project is to load corrosion inhibitors into tiny containers, nanometer size tubes, and to close tube ends with stoppers. These inhibitor loaded nanotubes can be admixed to paint. Corrosion inhibitors will stay inside these nanotubes for months and years, and will be released in the coating defects providing corrosion healing. Corrosion of metals is a serious problem: $280 billion is spent annually for corrosion damage repair and protection in USA alone, and a variety of methods have been developed to overcome it. One of the disadvantages of inorganic inhibitors is their toxicity; for example, widely used chromates are proven to cause cancer and are recently forbidden. Nanocontainers to be developed in this project are halloysite clay nanotubes with length 800 nm and diameter 50 nm. Halloysite is an environmentally friendly nanomaterial; it is mined from natural deposits in thousand tons and is not toxic.
An introduction of environmentally friendly organic inhibitor nanocontainers for protective coatings is very important. Additionally to scientific development, the two outreach tasks will be performed: the project will employ undergraduate researchers from Grambling State University, a Historically Black university; and, through contacts with K-12 schools, science teachers and students will be taught about nanomaterials, including simple experiments with anticorrosion coating based on loaded halloysite clay.
