Nanocomposite Inhibitors for Corrosion Resistant Conductive Coating

Conductive coatings and adhesives are used on composite aircraft structures to control electrostatic discharge and provide lightening strike protection. Contact of these metal or carbon filled coatings with alloy components creates the potential for significant corrosion problems. These corrosion problems have been controlled historically with chromate inhibitor containing primers, but as these materials are eliminated, a need exists to control corrosion of both the conductive metal fillers and the aircraft structure in contact with these coatings. To address the need for improved corrosion protection of aircraft structures coated with conductive coatings, Luna will develop a tailored inhibitor package that mitigates the complex processes associated with the corrosion of these conductive coatings and aircraft materials. Luna has selected a nanocomposite compound as the basic platform for tailoring inhibitors specifically for this application. The nanocomposite can be intercalated with a range of anodic or cathodic inhibitors, permitting significant design latitude for engineering inhibitors that satisfy the application requirements. A further advantage is that the inhibitor release is moderated by an ion exchange process. Finally, these inhibitors are base on low cost raw materials and are amenable to existing production processes, so that these materials will be competitive to other commercial inhibitors.