The anti-corrosion performance and catalytic passivation and sorptive corrosion inhibition self-healing of sulfonated aniline trimer modified basalt scale anti-corrosion coatings

•Dispersion of basalt flakes (BS) was enhanced by sulfonated aniline trimer (SAT).•Hydrogen bonded SAT acted release in response to pH.•SAT catalyzed the formation of composite passive films on the surface of steel.•The multi-functional coordination endowed the coatings self-healing effect.