A mussel adhesive protein based nanocomposite thin film was produced to be applied as surface pre-treatment or primer on rebars of reinforced concrete. The film deposition and drying processes were investigated to enhance the corrosion protection, and facilitate large-scale industrial applications. The morphology, chemical composition and microstructure of the film were characterised with SEM, EDS, Micro-IR and AFM techniques. EIS results suggested the film provides excellent and increased corrosion protection for the carbon steel in mild and extreme concrete pore solutions. In-situ AFM results demonstrated the self-healing ability of the film to the pitting corrosion.