Tubule Nanocontainers for Corrosion Inhibitors

该项目的研究目标是开发无毒的纳米容器，装载腐蚀抑制剂，使它们可以混合到油漆中。 为了保护金属免受腐蚀（船舶，工业机器，石油平台），人们将称为腐蚀抑制剂的化学品混入涂料中。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入微小的容器，纳米尺寸的管，并关闭管端与塞子。这些负载抑制剂的纳米管可以混合到油漆中。腐蚀抑制剂将在这些纳米管内停留数月或数年，并将在涂层缺陷中释放，提供腐蚀愈合。金属的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伤的修复和保护，并且已经开发了各种方法来克服它。无机缓蚀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导致癌症，最近被禁止使用。 本项目开发的纳米容器是埃洛石粘土纳米管，长度为800 nm，直径为50 nm。埃洛石是一种环境友好的纳米材料;它是从数千吨的天然矿床中开采出来的，无毒。 介绍了一种环境友好的用于防护涂料的有机缓蚀剂纳米容器。 除了科学发展外，还将执行两项推广任务：该项目将聘请来自Grambling州立大学（一所历史上的黑人大学）的本科研究人员;通过与K-12学校的联系，科学教师和学生将学习纳米材料，包括基于负载埃洛石粘土的防腐涂层的简单实验。

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.