I-Corps: Multifunctional Additives with Controlled Release Agents

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是创造添加剂，可以用更环保的替代品取代危险和有毒的缓蚀剂。腐蚀的直接成本是巨大的，无论是在经济上，还是在影响健康和安全方面。这类健康和安全影响的例子包括建筑物的结构完整性遭到破坏、基础设施恶化以及重金属渗入供水系统。在对缓蚀剂的需求不断增长的同时，由于它们对环境和人类健康的有害影响，一些常见和有效的解决方案正在被逐步淘汰。该项目开发的缓蚀剂替代品将潜在地减少目前用于保护各种金属结构(如建筑物、桥梁、管道、船舶、汽车、卡车和飞机)的有害腐蚀保护材料的量。该i-Corps项目旨在推进一种新型的缓蚀剂控制释放的封装系统，为金属涂层提供智能腐蚀保护。这种封装使目前与涂料不兼容的环保型缓蚀剂替代品得以使用。它通过在涂层应用期间防止缓蚀剂与涂层之间的接触以及在腐蚀触发事件期间提供受控释放来实现这一点，从而实现按需腐蚀保护。因此，可以通过使用更环保的材料和减少所需的缓蚀剂的量来减少防腐系统对环境的影响。此外，它们可以并入现有的防腐系统，而不会对涂层配方或涂装方法产生重大影响。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to create additives that can replace hazardous and toxic corrosion inhibitors with more environmentally friendly alternatives. Direct costs of corrosion are enormous both financially and also by impacting health and safety. Examples of such health and safety impacts are due to the breakdown of the structural integrity of buildings, the deterioration of infrastructure and the leaching of heavy metals into water supplies. While the demand for corrosion inhibitors is growing, some common and effective solutions are being phased out due to their hazardous effect on environmental and human health. The corrosion inhibitor replacements developed in this project will potentially reduce the amount of harmful corrosion protection materials currently used to protect a large variety of metal-based structures, such as buildings, bridges, pipelines, ships, cars, trucks, and airplanes.This I-Corps project aims to advance a novel encapsulation system for controlled release of inhibitors that provides smart corrosion protection to metal coatings. The encapsulation enables the use of environmentally friendly inhibitor alternatives that are currently incompatible with coatings. It achieves this by preventing contact between the inhibitor and the coating during coating application and providing controlled release during corrosion-triggered events, allowing on-demand corrosion protection. Consequently, the environmental impact of corrosion protection systems can be decreased through the use of more environmentally friendly materials and the reduction of the required amount of inhibitive compounds. Further, they can be incorporated into existing corrosion protection systems without significant changes in coating formulation or application method.