Fabrication of rapid self-healing thermoset polymer by the encapsulation of low-viscosity unsaturated vinyl ester resin and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide for the corrosion protection improvement

The encapsulation of vinyl ester resin and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide into poly(methyl methacrylate) for the fabrication of anti-corrosion rapid self-healing microcomposites has been done. The effect of stirring speed, emulsifier type and its concentration, core material viscosity, and core/shell ratio on the encapsulation efficiency and core content were evaluated. The core/shell morphology was reported via scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared investigations. Thermal, mechanical, and electrochemical investigations were conducted on the fabricated dual-component microcomposites to estimate the effect of microcapsule content and low-viscosity promoted healing agent. The results displayed 4.9%, 5.9%, and 12.2% reductions in glass transition temperature, tensile, and flexural moduli with the incorporation of 10 wt% microcapsules. The healing efficiency was obtained at 91.1%, while the uncured enthalpy intensified by 57.7% at this concentration. The healing process has been tracked by measuring the increasing trend of electrochemical impedance. Based on the electrochemical analyses, the synthesized self-healing coatings are able to heal quickly with remarkable protective performance during the immersion into seawater. According to the selected materials and method, this study is able to recommend the manufacturing of vinyl ester self-healing thermoset composites with significant corrosion protection, high compatibility, and low production costs.