Enhanced corrosion resistance and self-healing effect of sol–gel coating incorporating one-pot-synthesized corrosion inhibitor-encapsulated silica nanocontainers

Integration of corrosion inhibitor-loaded nanocontainers into sol–gel-derived anticorrosion coatings presents a promising strategy to endow them with self-healing ability and improve their long-term corrosion protection properties. In the present work, we demonstrate the preparation of sol–gel anticorrosion coating incorporating benzotriazole-loaded SiO 2 mesoporous nanocontainers (BTA@SiO 2 ) synthesized via a modified one-pot method. The nanocontainers exhibited suitable mesoporous structures and pH-dependent inhibitor release properties. Salt spray tests and EIS analysis on the nanocontainer-containing sol–gel coating indicated enhanced corrosion protection properties owing to the high compatibility of the silica skeleton of the nanocontainers with the sol–gel coating matrix, as well as the formation of inhibitive layer on the metal surface. Graphical abstract