RTV coatings are subjected to complex electrical and mechanical stresses during prolonged service
resulting in the generation of mechanical cracks and electrical tree damage within the material
which can potentially lead to insulation failures. Empowering RTV coatings with self-repair capability presents an effective avenue for addressing the aforementioned issues. However
current self-repair technologies commonly encounter challenges such as complex systems and stringent triggering conditions
thereby impeding their industrial application. This study addresses the aforementioned issues by constructing water-induced curing-type self-healing microcapsules and incorporating them into RTV coatings. Upon damage to the composite coating
the core healing agent autonomously flows out. Without the need for a catalyst
the core healing agent undergoes crosslinking polymerization with external water molecules
thereby achieving autonomous repair of the damage. Characterization tests on the microcapsules and composite coatings indicate that the prepared microcapsules exhibit intact morphology and excellent encapsulation
with thermal stability below 180 ℃. When the mass fraction of microcapsules is less than 1%
the self-repairing composite coatings exhibits no significant decrease in hydrophobicity and adhesion
retains good mechanical properties
and its electrical performance remains essentially unaffected. This allows for long-term service while maintaining superior intrinsic properties
enabling in-situ
autonomous
and unsupervised self-repair of mechanical/electrical damages to the RTV coating
thereby significantly extending the service life of the RTV coating.