The Air Force requires an advanced corrosion resistant coating system which significantly mitigates the destructive effect of oxygen, for military aerospace and infrastructure preservation applications. The proposed program will develop an advanced multifunctional hybrid corrosion resistant coating system by uniformly embedding self-healing nanoparticles into a superhydrophobic perfluoroalkylated phthalocyanine (PPC) based fluorinated polymer system. The proposed new corrosion resistant coating system is expected to exhibit extremely low energy surface, surface self-cleaning feature by photo-generated singlet oxygen, no electron loss by encapsulated metal regulation, minimal oxidative destruction due to less hydrocarbon bonding, self-healing functionality by incorporation of corrosion inhibitor loaded nanocontainers, long-term active corrosion resistance by robust coating component, and high film durability by incorporated temperature stable polymer. This advanced coating system will also provide improved insulation film formability and enhanced thermal stability and processability due to the proven polyurethane polymer system. The key innovation in this approach is the unique design and synthesis of superhydrophobic main anticorrosion coating resin, which is fluorinated polymer prepared by covalently bonding of PPC groups to the backbone of fluorinated polyurethane polymer, and the incorporation of self-healing mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). The proposed advanced corrosion resistant coating system can be economically scaled up for volume manufacture.
Benefit: The proposed high performance multifunctional hybrid corrosion resistant coating system will provide significantly increased corrosion resistance property and the lifetime of military aircrafts, thereby significantly reducing corrosion related operation and maintenance costs. The proposed corrosion resistant coating system can be applied to other military helicopter and rotorcraft, aircraft carriers, warships, armored vehicles, other land vehicles, and engineered structures where similar performance is needed. Also, the ability to form superhydrophobic coatings surfaces will have a huge effect on commercial applications such as anti-corrosion, antifouling, commercial marine structures/vessels, and automotive, commercial aircraft and vehicles, civilian infrastructure, and other consumer applications.
Keywords: Corrosion Resistant Coating, Superhydrophobic, Perfluoroalkylated Phthalocyanines, Fluorinated Polyurethane, Silica Nanoparticle, Shelf-Healing, Self-Cleaning.
