Corrosion is a serious degradation form of materials. Worldwide it costs ~4% of GDP, wasting a large amount of precious resources and energy, and contaminating our environment. Surface coatings/ paints is the most popular and cost-effective technique to protect materials from corrosion. However, coatings/paints are subject to various chemical and mechanical damage. New Zealand is a marine country, and a large proportion of buildings and infrastructure is within 5 km of sea. With the influence of the sea, atmospheric corrosion is the main form of failure form of materials. How improve coatings’ protectivity is therefore extremely important for many industries and the domestic economy.
To improve the protectivity of coatings and extend their service life, we have studied and developed “self-healing” coating primers. These coatings use nano-structured or 2-D materials to store highly effective inhibitors, which can be released when the coating breaks, covering the surface of the damaged material and stopping or slowing down the propagation of rust.
This project is of both scientific and applied importance. The students will explore new nanostructured ceramic materials to make inhibiting composites and coatings, and conduct electrochemical and exposure tests. This project has been supported by Auckland UniServices and several major NZ infrastructure companies, including TransPower, Fletcher Steel and KiwiRail. Students will also gain the experience of how to collaborate with industrial partners.
Undergraduate
This is a typical materials research project with both scientific and applied significance. The students will learn materials processing techniques, electrochemistry principles, corrosion property tests and nanostructure characterization. We also hope our students will develop new primers with improved corrosion resistance, and may even produce a paper for journal publication.
Passed paper CHEMMAT 305.
No lab has been assigned to this project