Smart anticorrosion coating based on stimuli-responsive micro/nanocontainer: a review

Smart coating for corrosion protection of metal materials (steel, magnesium, aluminum and their alloys) has drawn great attention because of their capacity to prevent crack propagation in the protective coating by releasing functional molecules (healing agents or corrosion inhibitors) on demand from delivery vehicle, that is, micro/nanocontainer made up of a shell and core material or a coating layer, in a controllable manner. Herein, we summarize the recent achievements during the last 10 years in the field of the micro/nanocontainer with different types of stimuli-responsive properties, i.e., pH, electrochemical potential, redox, aggressive corrosive ions, heat, light, magnetic field, and mechanical impact, for smart anticorrosion coating. The state-of-the-art design and fabrication of micro/nanocontainer are emphasized with detailed examples.