Three-dimensional nanofibers network multifunctional material for photothermal self-healing protective coating

The increasing attention to metal corrosion has stimulated the demand for intelligent self-healing coatings that respond rapidly to environmental changes in corrosive media to protect metal substrates. This study fabricates highly loaded yet well dispersed polyvinyl butyral-cuprous oxide @ tannic acid (PVB-Cu2O@TA) multifunctional nanofibers. TA as the core, PVB as the shell, and cuprous oxide nanoparticles uniformly growing on three-dimensional (3D) nanofibers cooperatively exhibit excellent self-healing performance. Near-infrared (NIR) -induced photothermal self-healing coatings are prepared by embedding PVB-Cu2O@TA nanofibers into the acrylic resin. When NIR irradiates the composite coating composed of PVB-Cu2O@TA, the photothermal effect generated by the plasmonic Cu2O NPs effectively heats the coating and heals the cracks within 100 s, enabling multiple cycle-healing properties. In addition, TA as a healing agent loaded in core–shell nanofibers effectively heals the scratches and inhibits the corrosion behavior of carbon steel. The combination of extrinsic and intrinsic healing mechanisms makes the coating own a more vital healing ability, thus providing preferable protective performance. More importantly, 3D-network-structured nanofibers could improve the mechanical properties of the composite coating. PVB-Cu2O@TA nanofibers have excellent synergistic repeated self-healing and good mechanical properties, which have significant application prospects in the field of marine and aviation corrosion protection.