I-Corps: Multifunctional Additives with Controlled Release Agents

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响和商业潜力是创造出可以用更环保的替代品取代危险和有毒腐蚀抑制剂的添加剂。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。这种健康和安全影响的例子是由于建筑物结构完整性的破坏、基础设施的恶化和重金属浸入供水系统。虽然对缓蚀剂的需求不断增长，但由于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基结构（如建筑物、桥梁、管道、船舶、汽车、卡车和飞机）的有害防腐蚀材料的数量。I-Corps项目旨在推进一种新型的封装系统，用于控制抑制剂的释放，为金属涂层提供智能腐蚀保护。这种封装技术可以使用目前与涂料不相容的环境友好型抑制剂替代品。通过在涂层过程中防止缓蚀剂与涂层接触，并在腐蚀触发事件中提供可控释放，实现按需防腐，从而实现这一目标。因此，可以通过使用更环保的材料和减少所需的抑制化合物量来减少腐蚀防护系统对环境的影响。此外，它们可以结合到现有的防腐系统中，而无需在涂层配方或应用方法上进行重大改变。

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.