Recently, Wang Yueming (corresponding author), a teacher from the School of Engineering of our university (first unit), published his latest research paper “Effect of surface modified nano-SiO2 particles on properties of TO@CA/SR self-healing anti-corrosion composite coating” in the internationally renowned journal Progress in Organic Coatings (TOP q1 Chinese Academy of Sciences, IF: 6.206) , which is one of the key journals in the field of engineering.

Inspired by the self-healing properties of organisms, the concept of intelligent self-healing is introduced into polymer materials, where self-healing factors can form an intelligent trigger - response - repair mechanism to quickly achieve self-healing, thereby extending the service life of the coating. However, the adding of self-healing factor (TO@CA) as a filler has important effects on the mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and self-healing properties of silicone rubber matrix (SR). Therefore, it is proposed to enhance the modification of SR by filling inorganic nanoparticles SiO2, so as to improve the interface compatibility and dispersibility between TO@CA and SR. This helps offset its influence on the mechanical properties of SR to the maximum extent, and improve its corrosion resistance and self-repair. First, the coupling agent KH550 is used to chemically modify the surface of nano-sio2 particles, and the silanol group generated after hydrolysis reacts with the hydroxyl group on the surface of nano-sio2 particles to form a covalent bond -SI-O-Si -. At the same time, the non-hydrolytic groups are connected with SR by H bond. The surface of the aminated nano-sio2 particles changes from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, which greatly improves the compatibility and dispersion of SiO2 and SR. Secondly, the modified nano-sio2 particles form a three-dimensional connected network with SR, and the coupling with the silicon chain network forms a double network structure. When there is an external force, the reversible bonding between SiO2-SR and SiO2-SiO2 can effectively dissipate mechanical energy, thus improving the mechanical properties of SR. The synergistic effect of the two can realize the self-healing and mechanical properties of the coating material so as to significantly improve the corrosion resistance of the coating to the substrate material. 

Thesis link：https://doi.org/10.1016/j.porgcoat.2021.106689