Engineers have created a self-healing coating that can eliminate cracks and scratches that appear on the metal within a few seconds, thereby providing the most complete protection against corrosion.
Regenerating coating for metal
It is known that liquids, due to their consistency, have the ability to restore the surface structure after physical impact. For example, if a boat floats across the water, after some time the surface will restore its previous structure – it will become smooth.
The researchers took advantage of this property of the liquid. They created silicone oil with graphene oxide microcapsules, which is quite fluid, but cannot flow off the metal surface. Capsules allow you to create a dense structure that can heal cracks and scratches on the surface.
During the tests, the coating was applied to aluminum, struck several dozen times with various objects, and then dipped into hydrochloric acid. Each time the metal restored its structure and did not corrode.