The present work demonstrates a new approach to self-healing polymers that have the ability to repair artificial defects and restore the passive state of an underlying metal substrate. An intrinsically conducting polymer (ICP) with a well designed function of doped ions possesses specific permselective properties, restricting incorporation of aggressive chlorides from corrosive electrolyte. The cation permselective membrane controls the release of healing ions to the defect zone when artificial defects are formed, efficiently inhibiting corrosion of the underlying metal substrate.

A new concept for formation of nanostructured intrinsically conducting polymers (ICP) is demonstrated. Polypyrrole can be electropolymerized from an ionic-surfactant-solution in TiO₂ nanotube framework to form a geometrical structure of self-organized nanopore arrays. Polymerization is initialized selectively in the space between nanotube walls forming a mechanically stable polymer network with controlled wall thickness from 40 to 10 nm. Such robust polymer nanostructures are very promising for application in electrochemical systems of limited charge carrier diffusion length.