Smart corrosion inhibitors for controlled release: a review

Metal corrosion has been one of the most urgent problems bringing about great economic loss and life threats worldwide. Corrosion inhibitors can prevent metal from corrosion when directly added to corrosive media, which is a low-cost and efficient strategy towards corrosion protection. However, the corrosion protection ability cannot be durable without continuous additions of corrosion inhibitors. Micro/nano-containers encapsulated with corrosion inhibitors offer promising opportunities for delaying the corrosion process and prolonging the service period, regarded as smart corrosion inhibitors that can respond to stimuli spontaneously and release on demand. The review focuses on the diverse ambient stimuli and actively responsive mechanisms of smart corrosion inhibitors. Furthermore, the present drawbacks and underexplored possibilities of current research studies are pointed out, and future perspectives are prospected for smart corrosion inhibitor applications.