In spite of the great potential of applying high-intensity ultrasound, which enables high-temperature and high-pressure chemistry with a reactor near room temperature and ambient pressure, sonochemistry at solid surfaces is at a weak stage of understanding with regards to the development of new materials and composite nanostructures. The science towards a quantitative understanding is only now emerging. On the other hand, in many applications an ultrasonic bath is used without thinking of the mechanism. Often surfaces are exposed to ultrasound for cleaning. Since ultrasonic treatment is not an exotic process and applicable even on large scale in industrial manufacturing, controlling the process may lead to new applications making use of the specially designed surface. This review is intended to summarize recent progress in this field and to point out most promising directions of ultrasound application for the development of new materials with functional surfaces.

Multicomponent coating formed by polyelectrolyte multilayers opens new opportunities for anticorrosion protection. Here we demonstrate a novel method of corrosion protection based on formation and deposition of polyelectrolyte multilayers on aluminum and steel alloys, analysis of different polyelectrolyte compositions (strong−strong, strong−weak, weak−weak) as candidates for corrosion protective layers. The multilayer nanonetwork exhibits very high corrosion protection because of the nature and versatility of the polyelectrolyte complex. The anticorrosion activity of the coating is based on the following mechanisms: (1) pH buffer formed by polybase and polyacid complex suppress pH changes caused by corrosion degradation; (2) coating regeneration and defect elimination due to relative mobility of polymer chains in swollen state; (3) polyelectrolyte layers form a carrier for inhibitor allowing its release on demand; (4) polyelectrolyte nanonetwork provides a barrier between surface and environment. We optimize the coating preparation conditions in a rational way by applying various polyacid−polybase combinations. We use the scanning vibration electrode technique to characterize corrosion protection of the novel coating.

The development of active corrosion protection systems for metallic substrates is an issue of prime importance for many industrial applications. The present work shows a new contribution to the design of a new protective system based on surface modified mesoporous silica containers. Incorporation of silica‐based containers into special sol–gel matrix allows for a self‐healing effect to be achieved during the corrosion process. The self‐healing ability occurs due to release of entrapped corrosion inhibitors in response to pH changes caused by the corrosion process. A silica–zirconia‐based hybrid film is used in this work as a coating matrix deposited on AA2024 aluminum alloy. Mesoporous silica nano‐particles are covered layer‐by‐layer with polyelectrolyte layers and loaded with inhibitor [2‐(benzothiazol‐2‐ylsulfanyl)‐succinic acid]. The hybrid film with nanocontainers reveals enhanced long‐term corrosion protection in comparison with the individual sol–gel films. The scanning vibrating electrode technique also shows an effective healing ability of containers to cure the corrosion defects. This effect is due to the release of the corrosion inhibitor triggered by the corrosion processes started in the cavities. The approach described herein can be used in many applications where active corrosion protection of materials is required.

We introduce a novel and versatile approach to the corrosion protection by use of "smart" laser-controllable coating. The main advantage of the proposed technique is that one could terminate the corrosion process by very intensive healing after an appearance of corrosion centers using local laser irradiation. It is also shown that by applying a polyelectrolyte shell with noble metal particles over the mesoporous titania and silica via layer-by-layer assembly it is possible to fabricate micro- and nanoscaled reservoirs, which, being incorporated into the zirconia-organosilica matrix, are responsible for the ability of laser-driven release of the loaded materials (e.g., corrosion inhibitor). Furthermore, the resultant films are highly adhesive and could be easily deposited onto different metallic substrates. Laser-mediated remote release of incorporated corrosion inhibitor (benzotriazole) from engineered mesoporous containers with silver nanoparticles in the container shell is observed in real time on single and multicontainer levels.