Synthesis of Polyurethane/Poly(urea-formaldehyde) Double-shelled Microcapsules for Self-healing Anticorrosion Coatings

Micromanipulation and Automatic Data Analysis to Determine the Mechanical Strength of Microparticles

Microparticles are widely used in many industrial sectors. A micromanipulation technique has been widely used to quantify the mechanical properties of individual microparticles, which is crucial to the optimization of their functionality and performance in end-use applications. The principle of this technique is to compress single particles between two parallel surfaces, and the force versus displacement data are obtained simultaneously. Previously, analysis of the experimental data had to be done manually to calculate the rupture strength parameters of each individual particle, which is time-consuming. The aim of this study is to develop a software package that enables automatic analysis of the rupture strength parameters from the experimental data to enhance the capability of the micromanipulation technique. Three algorithms based on the combination of the “three-sigma rule”, a moving window, and the Hertz model were developed to locate the starting point where onset of compression occurs, and one algorithm based on the maximum deceleration was developed to identify the rupture point where a single particle is ruptured. Fifty microcapsules each with a liquid core and fifty porous polystyrene (PS) microspheres were tested in order to produce statistically representative results of each sample, and the experimental data were analysed using the developed software package. It is found that the results obtained from the combination of the “3σ + window” algorithm or the “3σ + window + Hertz” algorithm with the “maximum-deceleration” algorithm do not show any significant difference from the manual results. The data analysis time for each sample has been shortened from 2 to 3 h manually to within 20 min automatically.

Preparation and Self-Healing Application of Isocyanate Prepolymer Microcapsules

In this study, we successfully manufactured polyurethane microcapsules containing isocyanate prepolymer as a core material for self-healing protection coatings via interfacial polymerization of a commercial polyurethane curing agent (Bayer L-75) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO) as a chain extender in an emulsion solution. With an optical microscope (OM) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM), the resulting microcapsules showed a spherical shape and an ideal structure with a smooth surface. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) showed that the core material was successfully encapsulated. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the initial evaporation temperature of the microcapsules was 270 °C. In addition, we examined the influence of the concentration of the emulsifier and chain extender on the structure and morphology of the microcapsules. The results indicate that the optimal parameters of the microcapsule are an emulsifier concentration of 7.5% and a chain extender concentration of 15.38%. Microcapsules were added to the epoxy resin coating to verify the coating’s self-healing performance by a surface scratch test, and the results showed that the cracks could heal in 24 h. Furthermore, the self-healing coating had excellent corrosion resistance.