Electrochemical behavior of different shelled microcapsule composite copper coatings

Copper/liquid microcapsule composite coatings with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), gelatin or methyl cellulose (MC) as shell materials were prepared by electrodeposition. The influence of shell materials on the corrosion resistance of the composite coatings in 0.1 M H₂SO₄ was investigated by means of electrochemical techniques, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersion spectrometry (EDS). The results show that the participation of microcapsules can enhance the corrosion resistance of the composite coatings compared with the traditional copper layer. Based on the analysis of electrochemical test results, the release ways of microcapsules were deduced. Gelatin and MC as the shell materials of microcapsules are easy to release quickly in the composite coating. On the contrary, the releasing speed of PVA microcapsules is relatively slow due to their characteristics.