Drying oils in smart self-healing coatings

Drying oils are attracting the attention of researchers not only in wood protection but also as self-healing agents in smart coatings for corrosion protection. The two most used drying oils are linseed oil and tung oil due to the fast-drying properties when they contact oxygen from the atmosphere. The encapsulation method is a quick and easy way to preserve their properties, facing many challenges in achieving stable oil-in-water emulsions.

Economical and feasibility analysis

The new review paper summarises recent achievements in encapsulating drying oils, tackling their high viscosity by changing process parameters (stirring speed, homogenisation/ultrasonic step, use of different emulsifiers, etc.). Besides, a critical overview of crucial points in corrosion protection of metals is presented and discussed. The difficulties drying oils encapsulation methods face and recent proofs-of-concept and future developments are explored. The review paper also provides an economical and feasibility analysis for the industrial application of drying oils in self-healing coatings for corrosion protection.

The review has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 172, November 2022.