Smart Coatings for Launch Site Corrosion Protection Project

<p>Corrosion is a serious problem that has enormous costs for the nation (4.2% GDP in 2007) and worldwide. Kennedy Space Center is located in one of the most naturally corrosive areas in the world. Acidic exhaust from the solid rocket boosters aggravates these natural conditions. New space vehicles are likely to use the same solid rocket fuel used to launch the Space Shuttle. Launching facilities and ground support equipment will continue to need corrosion protection.</p><p>Current research is focused on encapsulating environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors and incorporating them into commercially available coatings to test their effectiveness. Accelerated corrosion tests have shown that corrosion-activated release microcapsules and particles can be used as inhibitor delivery systems to improve the corrosion protection of several commercially available coatings. This work is being conducted in collaboration with several industry partners who are interested in the NASA-developed smart coating technology.</p>