Nanocontainer-Based Active Systems: From Self-Healing Coatings to Thermal Energy Storage

Abstract

We highlight the development of nanocontainer-based active materials started in 2006 at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces under the supervision of Prof. Helmuth Möhwald. The active materials encapsulated in the nanocontainers with controlled shell permeability have been first applied for self-healing coatings with controlled release of the corrosion inhibitor. The nanocontainers have been added to the paint formulation matrix at 5–10 wt % concentration, which resulted in attaining a coating-autonomous self-healing ability. This research idea has attracted the attention of many scientists around the world (>1500 publications during the last 10 years) and has already been transferred to the commercialization level. The current trend in nanocontainer-based active systems is devoted to the multifunctionality of the capsules which can combine self-healing, antibacterial, thermal, and other functionalities into one host matrix. This article summarizes the previous research done in the area of nanocontainer-based active materials together with future perspectives of capsule-based materials with antifouling or thermoregulating activity.

Clay Composites for Thermal Energy Storage: A Review

“…The encapsulation of PCMs in micro-and nanocontainers was suggested as an approach to overcome these limitations [33,34]. In particular, PCM encapsulation may protect the material from contact with the environment, increase heat transfer area and heat conductivity, improve shape and cycle stability [35]. Generally, the encapsulation of a PCM implies the formation of an organic or inorganic shell around the PCM core with chemical, physico-chemical and physico-mechanical approaches [10].…”

Prevent or Cure—The Unprecedented Need for Self‐Reporting Materials

“…Judiciously combining stimuli-responsive elements with suitable polymeric structures,f ascinating smart materials have been developed, one important representative class being the self-healing materials. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Similar to biological organisms, such materials are able to repair damaged areas.T he mechanisms of self-healing processes are thereby highly dependent on the initial design strategy.O nt he one hand, the mechanism can be autonomic,meaning the damage itself triggers the healing process by releasing healing agents embedded in for example,m icrocapsules,h ollow (glass) fibers,o rv ascular systems at the damaged area. On the other hand, non-autonomic systems require an external trigger such as thermal, light, or chemical activation to induce for example (reversible) crosslinking or polymerization reactions to heal the damage.…”

Vorbeugen oder Heilen – die beispiellose Notwendigkeit von selbstberichtenden Materialien

“…[9] Die durchdachte Kombination stimuliresponsiver Eigenschaften mit geeigneten Polymerstrukturen ermçglichte die Entwicklung von faszinierenden Materialien, von denen eine wichtige repräsentative Klasse die selbstheilenden Materialien darstellen. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] ¾hnlich wie biologische Organismen kçnnen solche Materialien beschädigte Bereiche reparieren. Dabei hängen die Mechanismen der Selbstheilungsprozesse stark von der ursprünglichen Entwurfsstrategie ab.E inerseits kann der Mechanismus autonom ablaufen, d. h.,der Schaden selbst lçst den Heilungsprozess aus,i ndem an der beschädigten Stelle Heilmittel aus Mikrokapseln, hohlen Fasern (Glasfasern) oder Gefäßsystemen freigesetzt werden.…”

“…B. mechanische Kräfte, Temperatur, pH‐Wert, Licht, Ultraschall, magnetische Felder oder Chemikalien, zu ändern [9] . Die durchdachte Kombination stimuliresponsiver Eigenschaften mit geeigneten Polymerstrukturen ermöglichte die Entwicklung von faszinierenden Materialien, von denen eine wichtige repräsentative Klasse die selbstheilenden Materialien darstellen [10–16] . Ähnlich wie biologische Organismen können solche Materialien beschädigte Bereiche reparieren.…”