Optimizing mechanical properties and corrosion resistance in core‐shell nanofiber epoxy self‐healing coatings: Impact of shell material variation

Shell materials play significant impact on corrosion resistance and mechanical properties on self‐healing coating of composite with core‐shell nanofiber. In this paper, three promising shell materials were investigated to optimize the performance of self‐healing coating. Self‐healing core‐shell nanofibers with different shell materials were prepared with coaxial electrospinning. The resulting nanofibers were used to prepare self‐healing corrosion resistance coating. The tensile test revealed a notable enhancement in the tensile strength of PA6 core‐shell nanofiber epoxy composite coatings compared with the epoxy coating, demonstrating increase of 26.92%. Friction and wear test indicated reductions in the friction coefficients of PAN, PVDF, and PA6 core‐shell nanofibers by 13.82%, 12.44%, and 26.27%, respectively. The self‐healing and anti‐corrosion abilities were evaluated through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test. All three coatings exhibited exceptional self‐healing efficiencies exceeding 90%, highlighting the substantial potential of the chosen shell materials as nanocontainers for self‐healing agent. Results indicate that the nanofibers with PA6 as shell material can achieve the best enhancement performance, which has a greater potential for the corrosion protection and long‐lasting use of offshore wind turbine tower coatings. Highlights Optimizing coating performance by screening coaxial nanofibers for shell materials Shell material can improve the tensile strength of coating up to 26.92% Friction coefficient of PA6 nanofiber coating was about 15% lower than PAN and PVDF All three coatings exhibited exceptional self‐healing efficiencies exceeding 90% Coaxial electrostatic spinning of PA6 shells maximizes mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of coatings.