Tubule Nanocontainers for Corrosion Inhibitors

该项目的研究目标是开发无毒的纳米容器，装载缓蚀剂，以便将其混合到油漆中。为了保护金属（船舶、工业机器、石油平台）不受腐蚀，人们在涂料中加入了一种叫做缓蚀剂的化学物质。然而，这些保护性添加剂很容易被洗掉或分解（特别是在海水中），金属表面会生锈。这个项目的想法是将缓蚀剂装载到微小的容器中，纳米尺寸的管，并用塞子关闭管端。这些负载抑制剂的纳米管可以混合到涂料中。缓蚀剂将在这些纳米管中停留数月或数年，并将在涂层缺陷中释放，提供腐蚀愈合。金属腐蚀是一个严重的问题：仅在美国，每年就花费2800亿美元用于腐蚀损害的修复和保护，并且已经开发出各种方法来克服它。无机抑制剂的缺点之一是它们的毒性；例如，广泛使用的铬酸盐被证明会致癌，最近被禁止使用。本课题拟研制的纳米容器为长800 nm、直径50 nm的高岭土粘土纳米管。高岭土是一种环保的纳米材料；它是从千吨的自然矿床中开采出来的，无毒。引入环境友好型有机缓蚀剂纳米容器用于保护涂层是非常重要的。除了科学发展之外，还将执行两项外展任务：该项目将雇用来自历史上的黑人大学——格兰布林州立大学的本科生研究人员；通过与K-12学校的联系，科学教师和学生将学习纳米材料，包括用加载高岭土粘土的防腐涂层进行简单实验。

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.