Self-healing effect of damaged coatings via biomineralization by Shewanella putrefaciens

The study reported the self-healing effect of damaged epoxy coatings on carbon steels via biomineralization by Shewanella putrefaciens in artificial seawater. The mineralization products accumulated in the coating scratch were composed of inorganic-organic hybrid matters. The EIS results demonstrated that the biomineralization could repair the corrosion resistance of the scratched coatings, with the |Z|(0.01) Hz value recovered to 1011 omega.cm(2) after 14 days of inoculation. Interestingly, the bacteria preferred to colonize in the coating scratch instead of the coating surface, which may be attributed to the fact that S. putrefaciens can harvest energy from the steel substrate to support their growth.

Automated summary

This study reported the self-healing effect of damaged epoxy coatings on carbon steels via biomineralization by Shewanella putrefaciens in artificial seawater. The biomineralization could repair the corrosion resistance of the scratched coatings, and the bacteria preferred to colonize in the coating scratch.