Self-healing paint
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Designed to obviate corrosion when a painted surface is scratched, a self-healing paint additive has been developed by Magnesium Elektron, a subsidiary of the British Aluminium Co Ltd. Microcapsules embedded in the coating matrix rupture when the coating is damaged and the liquid which they contain flows into the scratch and forms a new protective coating.
The size of the microcapsules is up to 1/10mm (0.004in.) in diameter, and they consist of an inert wall and a fluid core. The core material can be a conventional air-drying paint, clear or pigmented, or one component of a two-pack coldcuring system, the second component being separately encapsulated so that the two parts are released and mix intimately in the correct proportions on rupture of the capsules.
Almost any air-drying paint or two-pack cold-curing system is suitable for an addition of these microcapsules, the strength of the capsule walls being varied to suit the mode of application of the self-healing paint. The coating should be useful for all machine parts but particularly those prone to accidental damage during assembly or in service.
Made by: Magnesium Elektron Ltd, Norfolk House, St. James's Square. London. SW1Y 4JS.