Smart nanocontainers as depot media for feedback active coatings.

Among the grand challenges at present are ways to develop systems with low consumption of raw materials and with little load on the environment. In view of this it is of utmost importance to avoid or to delay processes causing material destruction. This is especially urgent, since many protective substances have associated health hazards, and new routes to improve the situation are a main concern of this contribution. Nanocapsules (nanocontainers) with controlled release properties of the shell can be used to fabricate a new family of active coatings, with quick response to changes of the coating environment or coating integrity. The release of active materials encapsulated into nanocapsules is triggered by various external and internal factors, thus preventing spontaneous leakage of the active component. The coating can have several active functionalities when several types of nanocapsules loaded with corresponding active agent are incorporated simultaneously into a coating matrix. We highlight recent achievements in development and application of filled responsive containers in biomedical and self-healing protective coatings. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011