An innovative metal–organic framework (ZnMOF-BTA) with corrosion inhibition properties was prepared by the solvothermal reaction of zinc nitrate, 1,2,3-benzotriazole, and 2,5-thiophene dicarboxylic acid. ZnMOF-BTA was characterized by FTIR, XRD, XPS, SEM, and thermogravimetric analyses, and the corrosion inhibition performance on Q235 carbon steel in 1 M HCl solution was evaluated by weight loss, polarization, and EIS measurements. XRD results showed that ZnMOF-BTA has a monoclinic crystal structure and belongs to C12/c1 space group, while DTA/TGA results revealed it has a good crystalline quality and excellent thermal stability with a melting point of 410 °C. FTIR and XPS results revealed that Zn²⁺, TDC²⁻, and BTA molecules were successfully used in ZnMOF-BTA synthesis. Electrochemical test results show that the obtained ZnMOF-BTA is effective in corrosion inhibition of Q235 carbon steel in acidic conditions and maximum inhibition efficiency of over 90% is obtained at 6 wt.% ZnMOF-BTA extract concentration. Adsorption studies revealed that the adsorption of BTA molecules follows the Langmuir isotherm model with an R² value of 0.97889, while the ΔG◦_ads value of −10.28 kJ mol⁻¹ indicates that adsorption is by physisorption. The study provides a new corrosion inhibitor compound with proven corrosion inhibition properties.

Facing the ubiquitous corrosion threat, the great significance of developing high-performance protective materials with the dual function of self-healing defects and self-warning damage is extremely challenging. Herein, inspired by the biological skin and pearls, we proposed that the biological polyurethanes (PU) embedded with multiple dynamic bonds (reversible hydrogen bonds and aromatic disulfide bonds) were combined with polydopamine (PDA)/1,10-phenanthroline (Phen)/graphene oxide (GO) (PPG) nanosheets (PDA encapsulated GO with Phen) to obtain a versatile nacre structure polymer with the interface hydrogen bond between PPG and PU matrix. The biomimetic polymer not only guarantees ultrahigh toughness (116.1 MJ·m⁻³) and abnormal elongation (2320%) but shows satisfactory repair performance (81% under 25 °C for 3 h), and the coating can accelerate damage recovery (87%) under near-infrared light (NIR) irradiation for 1 h due to the photothermal properties of PPG. The warning of damages in the coating can be enabled through the Phen chelation Fe²⁺ ions that bring in the corrosion reaction to produce a conspicuous red color, thereby achieving the active warning function of the bionic coating on defects for the first time. In addition, the electrochemical tests exhibit that the repair performance and protection effect of the biomimetic coating in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution are also trustworthy, and this highly reliable bio-based bionic coating brings a revolutionary program to inaugurate multifunctional and high-performance intelligent materials under harsh environments.