Corrosion properties of surface-modified AZ91D magnesium alloy

Samples of AZ91D magnesium alloy were dipped into AlCl₃–NaCl molten salt at different temperatures between 250 °C and 400 °C for 28800 s. The thickness of the alloying layer is increased with the rise of the treatment temperatures. The coating was mainly composed of Al₁₂Mg₁₇ and Al₃Mg₂ intermetallic compounds. The corrosion resistance of the coating which is obtained at 300 °C for 28800 s is the best. When the treatment temperature is higher than 300 °C, some cracks developed in the alloying layers. The cracks were resulted from the thermal stress due to the different thermal expansion coefficient of the AZ91D substrate and the alloying coating during the rapid cooling process.     

Electrochemical behaviour and corrosion of Mg–Y alloys

Corrosion of cast magnesium–yttrium (Y) alloys with systematic Y additions up to a nominal 18 wt.% were studied. Corrosion performance was related to the quantitative alloy microstructure and found to increase significantly with the level of alloying and volume fraction of the Mg–Y intermetallic present. In the alloy microstructures, Mg₂₄Y₅ was principally formed; the electrochemistry of which was characterised using the electrochemical microcell method. Electrochemical testing revealed the fundamental corrosion behaviour of Mg–Y alloys and elucidated the corrosion mechanisms at play.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of lanthanum conversion coating on Mg–Li alloy and its corrosion resistance

Lanthanum-based conversion coating on Mg–Li alloy has been prepared by a microwave-assisted method. X-ray diffractions (XRD) indicate that the intermetallic compounds of lanthanum are formed on Mg–Li alloy surface. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that the coating has different morphologies and special structures. The corrosion resistance was assessed by means of potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). The results indicate that this coating significantly reduces the corrosion rate of Mg–Li alloy in NaCl solution. A comparing experiment indicates that the coating prepared by microwave-assisted process has superior corrosion resistance to the coating obtained at room temperature.     

In situ growth of Mg–Al hydrotalcite conversion film on AZ31 magnesium alloy

In situ growth of Mg–Al hydrotalcite conversion film on AZ31 alloy has been developed by a two-step method. The characteristics of the films were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM) observation, electrochemical and immersion tests. The film formation process was proposed based on the open circuit potential (OCP) measurements and surface analysis. A precursor film with network cracks is first formed and then this film is transformed into a compact and uniform hydrotalcite (Mg₆Al₂(OH)₁₆CO₃·4H₂O) film after the post treatment. This dense Mg–Al hydrotalcite film can provide effective protection to the AZ31 alloy.     

Comparison between the effect of nanoglass flake and montmorillonite organoclay on corrosion performance of epoxy coating

Montmorillonite organoclay (OMMT) and nanoglass flake (GF) were incorporated into epoxy resin by mechanical agitation and sonication process. Optical microscopy was used to analyse the optical homogeneity of dispersions. To investigate anticorrosive properties of nanocomposite organic coatings, salt fog test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), polarization measurement, pull-off adhesion and water absorption tests have been employed. The time course of impedance parameters and polarization studies show that coating corrosion resistance is improved as the amounts of OMMT and GF are increased to 3 wt%. The results indicated that nano-GF filled specimens display better corrosion performance than the OMMT filled ones.     

Effect of alternating voltage treatment on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of stannate conversion coating on AZ91D alloy

A new stannate conversion coating (CC) on AZ91D alloy was synthesized by the application of alternative voltage (AV) treatment technique. By using AV technique, the formation process of CC can be controlled. SEM results indicated that a continuous and compact dual-layer CC was formed on alloy surface after AV treatment. TEM results revealed that the inner layer consists of magnesium–aluminum–stannum nano-crystals and amorphous, meanwhile, the outer layer is primarily a mixture of magnesium–stannum hydroxides and oxides with amorphous structure. The electrochemical experimental results revealed that AV treatment significantly improved the corrosion resistance of CC, which attributed to the distinguishing microstructure of AV-CC.     

Electrochemical investigation of the influence of laser surface melting on the microstructure and corrosion behaviour of ZE41 magnesium alloy – An EIS based study

Surface melting of a magnesium alloy, ZE41 (4%-Zn, 1%-RE) was performed to achieve electrochemical homogeneity at the surface by microstructure refinement. Large secondary precipitates are particularly known to cause severe pitting in magnesium alloys. The corrosion resistance of the laser treated and untreated alloy was investigated by potentiodynamic polarisation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Contrary to the reported behaviour of other magnesium alloys (such as AZ series alloys), laser surface melting did not significantly improve the corrosion resistance of ZE41. This observation is attributed to the absence of beneficial alloying elements such as Al in ZE41 alloy.     

Growth characteristics and corrosion resistance of micro-arc oxidation coating on pure magnesium for biomedical applications

Protective micro-arc oxidation (MAO) coating was prepared on pure magnesium in aqueous solution without toxic components under a constant current density. The whole anodizing process can be divided into four stages based on the differences in voltage, sparking behaviour and oxygen evolution. SEM micrographs show that a thick and dense coating can be obtained after anodizing for adequate time. The corrosion resistance of the samples with anodic coatings was evaluated by drop experiments and potentiodynamic polarization tests. The results confirm that the thick and dense coating can efficiently protect the magnesium substrate from corrosion in aggressive environments.     

Enhanced corrosion resistance of high strength Mg–3Al–1Zn alloy sheets with ultrafine grains in a phosphate-buffered saline solution

The corrosion behaviour of ultrafine grained AZ31Mg alloy sheets with very high strength, which were prepared by high-ratio differential speed rolling (HRDSR) technique, was studied in a phosphate-buffered saline solution. The corrosion resistance was greatly improved after HRDSR. This result was attributed to the enhanced stability of the Mg(OH)₂ layer due to the grain refinement and precipitation of various types of P-containing compounds on the stabilised Mg(OH)₂ layer. The HRDSR technique has a good potential to be used for the development of magnesium sheets with good combination of mechanical and biocorrosion properties.     

Effect of alternating voltage treatment on the corrosion resistance of pure magnesium

Pure magnesium was treated by alternating voltage (AV) treatment technique. The optimal AV-treatment parameters for greatly improving corrosion resistance were determined by the orthogonal experiments. Polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) were performed to understand the effect of AV-treatment on the corrosion resistance of pure magnesium. AFM, contact angle measurement and XPS were employed to further investigate the influence of AV-treatment on the properties of the surface film formed on pure magnesium after AV-treatment. The results showed that a uniform and stable film was formed and the corrosion resistance of pure magnesium was greatly improved after AV-treatment. This was caused by the noticeable change of chemical structure and semi conducting properties of surface film after AV-treatment.     

The influence of yttrium (Y) on the corrosion of Mg-Y binary alloys

Corrosion of Mg-Y alloys was studied using electrochemical evaluations, immersion tests and direct observations. There were two important effects. In 0.1 M NaCl, the corrosion rate increased with increasing Y content due to increasing amounts of the Y-containing intermetallic. In 0.1 M Na₂SO₄, the corrosion rate decreased with increasing Y content above 3%, attributed to a more protective surface film, despite the intermetallic. The corrosion rate evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was somewhat smaller than that evaluated from H evolution as expected from the Mg corrosion mechanism. A mechanism is proposed for filiform corrosion. Direct in situ corrosion observations revealed that a predominant feature was hydrogen evolution from particular parts of the alloy surface.     

The corrosion inhibition of copper in hydrochloric acid solutions by a tripeptide compound

The efficiency of glutathione as a non-toxic corrosion inhibitor for copper in 0.5 M HCl has been studied by using the weight-loss technique, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization. Maximum protection efficiency reaches about 92.7% for glutathione at 10 mM concentration level. Results obtained from potentiodynamic polarization and impedance measurements are in good agreement. The adsorption of glutathione on copper surface follows Langmuir isotherm. The adsorption free energy of glutathione on copper (−32 kJ mol⁻¹) reveals a strong physical adsorption of the inhibition on the metal surface.     

Microstructure and corrosion performance of a cold sprayed aluminium coating on AZ91D magnesium alloy

A pure Al coating was deposited on AZ91D magnesium alloy through cold spray (CS) technique. The microstructure of the coating was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that the grain interfaces and subgrains formed close to the particle/particle boundaries. Electrochemical tests revealed that the cold sprayed pure Al coating had better pitting corrosion resistance than bulk pure Al with similar purity in neutral 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. In addition, a mass-transfer step was found to be involved in the corrosion during 10 days immersion.     

High efficiency corrosion inhibitor 8-hydroxyquinoline and its synergistic effect with sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate on AZ91D magnesium alloy

The inhibition effects of sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate (SDBS) and 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) on the corrosion of AZ91D magnesium alloy in ASTM D1384-87 corrosive solution were investigated by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization tests. For SDBS, the inhibition effect was not significant. For 8HQ, a monotonic increase in inhibition efficiency was observed as a function of the immersion time, and the component of the film was Mg(8HQ)₂, which was characterized by three spectra methods. Upon mixing 8HQ and SDBS inhibitors, a synergistic inhibition behavior was observed, and a proper synergistic inhibition mechanism was proposed.     

The role of alkaline-earth additives on the molten carbonate corrosion of 316L stainless steel

The corrosion behavior of 316L stainless steel in eutectic Li/Na molten carbonate containing various amounts of Mg, Ca and Ba ions has been evaluated by electrochemical techniques in combination with oxygen solubility determinations. Open circuit potential and corrosion rates have been correlated to the oxygen solubility properties of the carbonate melt for an understanding of the kinetic aspects of the corrosion process. It has been found that minor additions of Mg and Ca ions (1.5% molar fraction) distinctly promote a higher carbonate oxygen solubility, whereas Ba has only a marginal effect on it. In general, the electrochemical investigations showed that at 1.5% molar fraction addition there exist a strong correlation between steel corrosion rate and oxygen solubility indicating that (i) corrosion process takes place under a diffusion-limited cathodic reduction of dissolved O₂ and (ii) corrosion rate is significantly increased with respect to the no-added Li/Na carbonate by the introduction of Mg and Ca ions that therefore serve as a sort of oxidizing agents. However, with larger Mg and Ca additions (up to 10% mol) the corrosion process was found to pass progressively under an anodic control despite decreasing oxygen solubility values. This effect is ascribed to the growth of an alkaline-earth doped lithium ferrite layer with enhanced barrier-like properties. In contrast, further additions of Ba cation in carbonate did not change the corrosion mechanism for its inability to react with the growing corrosion scale. Only minor reductions of corrosion rate are detected in agreement with the lower tendency of the melt containing high molar fractions of Ba to solubilize the oxygen gas.     

Hot corrosion behaviour of Fe-Al based intermetallic in molten NaVO3 salt

The hot corrosion of sprayed Fe-40 (at.%)Al intermetallic alloy with additions of boron and alumina whiskers in molten NaVO₃ at 700 °C has been evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, EIS, techniques. For short exposure times, the corrosion mechanism under these conditions was observed to be controlled by an activation process, whereas for longer exposure times, the corrosion process was under diffusion control due to the growing of an Al₂O₃ oxide scale, which made the diffusion of both reducing and oxidizing species through the scale to the alloy or scale surfaces more difficult. Equivalent electric model used to simulate the EIS data showed that a finite length Warburg diffusion could properly characterize the diffusion process, which confirmed the formation of a compact corrosion product scales containing rich aluminium oxide. Thus, the corrosion process was under diffusion control of aggressive ions through the formed scale. The electrochemical study was complemented by scanning electronic microscopy characterization and micro chemical analysis.     

The effect of epoxy coating containing emeraldine base and hydrofluoric acid doped polyaniline on the corrosion protection of AZ91D magnesium alloy

Corrosion protection of epoxy coatings containing emeraldine base polyaniline (PANI) or hydrofluoric acid doped PANI on AZ91D magnesium alloy were studied by EIS and Pull-Off Adhesion Test. The results indicated that the addition of emeraldine base PANI or hydrofluoric acid doped PANI could improve the corrosion resistance of epoxy coating. The epoxy coating containing hydrofluoric acid doped PANI had the best performance of the corrosion protection among three systems under investigation. The corrosion product film was analyzed by XPS indicating that PANI changed the chemical structure of the corrosion film. The protective mechanism imparted by PANI was discussed.     

Study of the corrosion inhibition effect of sodium silicate on AZ91D magnesium alloy

The poor corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys is a major impediment to their applications in many fields. In this paper, sodium silicate as a corrosion inhibitor is studied on the inhibition effect of AZ91D magnesium alloy. From the results of the corrosion tests, sodium silicate could effectively improve the corrosion resistance of alloy at the optimum concentration 10 mmol/L, while the pH value range from 10.5 to 12.5 is preferable. The corrosion inhibition mechanism of the protective layers is also discussed. These results can provide a guide for the protection of magnesium alloy in the cooling water systems, etc.     

Electrochemical corrosion behavior of Mg-5Al-0.4Mn-xNd in NaCl solution

The electrochemical corrosion behavior of Mg-5Al-0.4Mn-xNd (x = 0, 1, 2 and 4 wt.%) alloys in 3.5% NaCl solution was investigated. The corrosion behavior of the alloys was assessed by open circuit potential measure, potentiodynamic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The electrochemical results show the intermetallic precipitates with Nd behave as less noble cathodes in micro-galvanic corrosion and suppress the cathodic process. During corrosion, Al₂O₃ and Nd₂O₃, in proper ratio, is incorporated into the corrosion film, and enhances the corrosion resistance.     

A study of the corrosion behavior of gamma titanium aluminide in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution and seawater

Gamma titanium aluminide (γ-TiAl) was evaluated for corrosion resistance in 3.5% NaCl and seawater using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Polarization plots indicate very low corrosion rates although in both electrolytes the control samples lost passivity at low polarization potentials. Surface modification treatments were employed by oxidizing the samples in air at 500 °C and 800 °C with the purpose of improving corrosion resistance. While the surface treatments rendered γ-TiAl passive in the polarization experiments in both electrolytes, EIS tests showed that the oxide formed at 800 °C was not protective. EEC models are proposed to explain the EIS results for the three surface conditions tested.