The corrosion resistance of hot dip galvanised steel and AA2024-T3 pre-treated with bis-[triethoxysilylpropyl] tetrasulfide solutions doped with Ce(NO3)3

The present work aims at evaluating the anti-corrosion behaviour of a novel pre-treatment based on bis-[triethoxysilylpropyl] tetrasulfide (BTESPT) doped with cerium nitrate for application on hot dip galvanised steel and AA2024-T3 substrates. The corrosion resistance was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and by the scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET), during immersion in NaCl solutions. The electrochemical results showed that the pre-treatment provides excellent corrosion protection to the substrates. Furthermore, the results evidenced improved protection comparatively to the use of undoped BTESPT pre-treatments, both for galvanised steel and AA2024-T3. This improvement is most likely due to enhanced barrier properties of the film and additional active corrosion protection originated from the inhibiting action of the cerium-based inhibitor impregnated in the silane matrix.     

Corrosion protection of AA 2024-T3 by bis-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]tetrasulfide in neutral sodium chloride solution. Part 1: corrosion of AA 2024-T3

This study consists of two parts. In the first part, the corrosion of 2024-T3 aluminum alloy (AA 2024-T3) was studied using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results showed that the anodic S phase (Al₂CuMg) particles dealloyed Al and Mg during the 3.5 h of immersion in a neutral 0.6 M sodium chloride (NaCl) solution; with the dealloying of Mg being the most severe. Simultaneously, a heavy dissolution was also observed for the surrounding Al matrix of the S phase particles. This Al dissolution is likely to be caused by a local alkalization resulting from the coupled cathodic reaction (water and/or oxygen reduction). Such corrosion in AA 2024-T3, however, can be inhibited efficiently after the treatment of bis-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]tetrasulfide (bis-sulfur silane). The associated studies on bis-sulfur silane treated AA 2024-T3 will be presented in the second part.     

Corrosion protection of AA 2024-T3 by bis-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]tetrasulfide in sodium chloride solution.: Part 2: mechanism for corrosion protection

The corrosion protection of AA 2024-T3 by films of bis-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]tetrasulfide (bis-sulfur silane) was studied in a neutral 0.6 M NaCl solution using potential transient, potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The results showed that a highly crosslinked or dense interfacial layer that developed between the silane film and the aluminum oxide is the major contribution to the corrosion protection of AA 2024-T3. The formation of this interfacial layer heavily restricts pit growth underneath via retarding the transport of corrosion products, as well as effectively blocks a number of cathodic sites available for cathodic reactions.     

An electrochemical and superficial assessment of the corrosion behavior of AA 2024-T3 treated with metacryloxypropylmethoxysilane and cerium nitrate

The present work aims at studying the corrosion behavior of treatments based on the deposition of layers of metacryloxypropylmethoxysilane (MAOS) and/or cerium nitrate on aluminum alloy 2024 T-3 (AA2024-T3). The corrosion resistance was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) during immersion in 0.1 M Na₂SO₄ and NaCl solutions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were also used to perform a surface analysis before and after the treatments. The electrochemical results show that cerium nitrate, when present between two layers of MAOS (sandwich-type deposited layer), improves the corrosion resistance. This can be attributed to the presence of an internal layer rich in silicium and cerium and another external MAOS layer, which further improves the barrier effect of the layer.     

Corrosion of AA2024-T3 Part III: Propagation

Optical and electron microscopies and EBSD were used to study the early stages of corrosion propagation during stable pit formation on AA2024-T3. Polished AA2024-T3 developed large scale rings of corrosion product, typically a few hundred microns in diameter, within 2 h of exposure to 0.1 M NaCl at room temperature. These features were sectioned using diamond ultramicrotomy and substantial subsurface attack, in the form of intergranular corrosion was observed beneath these sites with virtually no grain etchout. A model is proposed for the mechanism of stable pit progression which involves extensive grain boundary attack, followed by grain etchout leading to open pit formation.     

2024-T3铝合金在硫酸-硼酸-磷酸中的阳极氧化和腐蚀行为

在含有10%硫酸、5%硼酸和2%磷酸的混合电解液中,对2024-T3铝合金进行阳极氧化处理,以提高其耐腐蚀性能。使用电化学阻抗频谱分析研究阳极氧化处理后合金的腐蚀行为。利用塔菲尔图和盐水喷雾技术进行对比发现,与只用磷酸或硫酸和硼酸的电解液相比,使用含有10%硫酸、5%硼酸和2%磷酸的混合电解液阳极氧化处理后的2024-T3铝合金,具有更好的耐腐蚀性和持久性。该电解液可以替代普遍用于阳极氧化铝合金的铬酸盐浴。     

Investigation of the corrosion behaviour of AA 2024-T3 in low concentrated chloride media

Aluminium alloy (AA) 2024-T3 is an important engineering material due to its widespread use in the aerospace industry. However, it is very prone to localized corrosion attack in chloride containing media, which has been mainly associated to the presence of coarse intermetallics (IMs) in its microstructure. In this work the corrosion behaviour of AA 2024-T3 in low concentrated chloride media was investigated using microscopy and electrochemical methods. TEM/EDS observations on non-corroded samples evidenced the heterogeneous composition within the IMs. In addition, SEM observations showed that intermetallics with the same nominal composition present different reactivity, and that both types of coarse IMs normally found in the alloy microstructure are prone to corrosion. Moreover, EDS analyses showed important compositional changes in corroded IMs, evidencing a selective dissolution of their more active constituents, and the onset of an intense oxygen peak, irrespective to the IM nature, indicating the formation of corrosion products. On the other hand, the results of the electrochemical investigations, in accordance with the SEM/EDS observations, evidenced that IMs corrosion dominates the electrochemical response of the alloy during the first hours of immersion in the test electrolyte.     

Corrosion Protection of AA2024-T3 by Cerium Malate and Cerium Malate-Doped Sol-Gel Coatings

Cerium malate (CeMal) was tested as a corrosion inhibitor for AA2024-T3 in this work. Corrosion inhibition on bare AA2024-T3 indicated that the inhibiting effect was a result of the synergistic effect of cerium cations and maleic anions. The corrosion of AA2024-T3 was stagnated by greatly reducing the corrosion current when CeMal was present in NaCl solutions. CeMal was adsorbed on the surface of AA2024-T3 forming a protective film in the initial stage. Then, cerium cations transformed to cerium oxide/hydroxides, precipitating on the cathode sites to inhibit the further corrosion. The electrochemical impedance spectra results of the sol-gel coatings proved that CeMal was an effective corrosion inhibitor in the sol-gel coatings to provide corrosion protection for AA2024-T3.     

Mechanisms of corrosion inhibition of AA2024-T3 by vanadates

The mechanisms of corrosion inhibition of AA2024-T3 by vanadates were studied using chronoamperometry, polarization curves and adsorption isotherms. The electrochemical behaviour of clear solutions containing metavanadates and orange solutions containing decavanadates was clearly distinctive. Metavanadates reduced the kinetics of oxygen reduction to an extent similar to chromates. Corrosion inhibition of AA2024-T3 by metavanadates was very rapid and it might occur by the formation of an adsorbed layer. Reduction of clear metavanadate solution was very slow. Approximately 35 min were required to develop a monolayer of a reduced vanadate species. The adsorption of the inhibitor likely blocked reactive sites on intermetallic particles, discouraging the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Adsorption of the inhibitor on the Al matrix could also displace Cl⁻ ions, increasing the stability of the passive film and reducing the breakdown of S-phase particles. In contrast, decavanadates were shown to be poor inhibitors of the ORR. A sharp current spike was observed after injection of decavanadates for both Cu and AA2024-T3 at various applied cathodic potentials. Integration of the current peaks suggested the formation of several monolayers of a reduced vanadate species. The formation of several monolayers was in line with the poor performance of decavanadates as inhibitors of AA2024-T3 corrosion.     

A study of the corrosion of aluminum alloy 2024-T3 under thin electrolyte layers

The corrosion of aluminum alloy 2024-T3 (AA2024-T3) under thin electrolyte layers was studied in 3.0 wt% sodium chloride solutions by cathodic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method. The cathodic polarization measurements show that, when the electrolyte layer is thicker than 200 μm, the oxygen reduction current is close to that of the bulk solution. But in the range of 200-100 μm, the oxygen reduction current is inversely proportional to the layer thickness, which shows that the oxygen diffusion through the electrolyte layer is the rate-determining step for the oxygen reduction process. In the range of 100 μm to about 58 μm, the oxygen reduction current is slightly decreased probably due to the formation of aluminum hydroxide or the change of the diffusion pattern from 2-dimensional diffusion to one-dimensional diffusion. The further decrease in electrolyte layer thickness increase the oxygen reduction current to some extent again, because the diffusion of oxygen plays more important role in thin electrolyte layers.The EIS measurements show that the corrosion is controlled by the cathodic oxygen reduction at the initial stage, showing the largest corrosion rate at the electrolyte layer thickness of 105 μm. But at the later stage of corrosion, the anodic process begin to affect the corrosion rates and the corrosion rates show a maximum at 170 μm, which may be the thickness where the corrosion changes from cathodic control to anodic control. The corrosion rate under the very thin electrolyte layer (62 μm in this study) is even smaller than that in bulk solution, this is due to that the anodic process is strongly inhibited.     

Synergistic effect of pH and oxalate concentration on corrosion of aluminium alloy 2024-T3

This work aims at obtaining comprehensive information on the corrosion behaviour of AA2024-T3 in oxalic acid solutions under different concentrations (0.007–0.2?M) and pH (2–6). Various tests to characterise the corrosion behaviour are performed, including weight loss and electrochemical tests. Coupon surfaces are examined using infinite-focus microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy. Corrosion rates, anodic and cathodic reaction kinetics are detailed to provide a fundamental understanding of the electrochemical behaviour of AA2024-T3 as a function of pH and oxalate concentration. The synergistic effect of pH and oxalate concentration on corrosion of AA2024-T3 is evaluated for both AA2024-T3 matrix and main intermetallics (i.e. Al–Cu–Mg and Al–Cu–Fe–Mn) and the electrochemical behaviour of each constituent element in AA2024-T3 is systematically studied.     

Anodising of Al 2024-T3 in a modified sulphuric acid/boric acid bath for aeronautical applications

A novel borate/boric/sulphuric acid anodising process is studied. The results show that the physical structure of the films is influenced not only by the bath used, but also and mainly by the substrate, i.e., Al 2024-T3 or Al. The corrosion resistance of the anodised specimens is satisfactory for practical applications and the fatigue resistance is not significantly different from that obtained with the traditional chromic acid anodising.     

Multifunctional epoxy coatings combining a mixture of traps and inhibitor loaded nanocontainers for corrosion protection of AA2024-T3

This work aims at investigating the corrosion protection effectiveness of multifunctional epoxy coatings modified with pigments such as ceramic nanocontainers loaded with corrosion inhibitor, chloride and water traps, applied on AA2024-T3. Characterizations on the morphology, composition and structure of the coatings were conducted. The corrosion resistance was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, localized electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning vibrating electrode technique. The mechanical behaviour of the coatings was examined through nanoindentation and nanoscratching tests. Electrochemical and nanomechanical testing results, evidenced the improvement of the corrosion protective properties and mechanical behaviour of the coatings in the presence of the various pigments.     

Corrosion of AA2024-T3 Part II: Co-operative corrosion

Polished specimens of AA2024-T3 alloy were immersed for up to 120 min in 0.1 M NaCl. The development of corrosion was monitored using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) and particle induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE). Both techniques revealed the intermetallic (IM) particle distributions and attack sites as distinguished by detection of chloride species. The earliest stages of attack involved localized attack around isolated IM particles as reported in Part I. Additionally attack occurred on a larger scale developing rapidly with rings of corrosion product surrounding clusters of IM particles. There were significantly higher numbers of IM particles within the corrosion rings, indicating that local clustering played an important role in co-operative corrosion.     

Effects of compressive stress on localized corrosion in AA2024-T3

The effect of compressive stress on intergranular corrosion (IGC) of AA2024-T3 was studied using a constant load and simultaneous electrochemical measurement. A specially designed electrochemical cell was used to compress a pillar-shaped sample and control the potential at a value that promoted IGC. The extent of IGC was assessed by metallurgical cross-sectional images. The effect of the compressive stress depended on the orientation of the stress relative to the elongated microstructure. Application of a compressive stress halfway to yield in the S or through-thickness direction significantly reduced the growth kinetics of IGC in the longitudinal direction, but did not eliminate it totally. The strain change during exposure also was used to quantify the change in radius of the cylindrical sample as a function of time during IGC growth. The effect of compression on reducing IGC was also assessed by the current density measured during potentiodynamic and potentiostatic polarization. The effects of residual compressive stress on IGC were studied using samples treated by low plastic burnishing (LPB), which produces a surface layer with high residual compressive stress. The results depended on the plane of the LPB treatment. A micro-capillary cell was used to measure corrosion behavior at different zones of the section of an LPB-treated sample. The breakdown potential was significantly higher in the zone with residual compressive stress than in the interior of the sample.     

Preparation and electrochemical characterization of amoxicillin-doped cellulose acetate films for AA2024-T3 aluminum alloy coatings

Cellulose acetate films doped with amoxicillin were deposited onto AA2024-T3 aluminum alloy and the corrosion protection in 0.05 M NaCl was evaluated by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and the Scanning Vibrating Electrode Technique (SVET). The doping of the cellulose acetate film with amoxicillin resulted in a significant increase in the high frequency resistance and a decrease in the capacitance of the material. The protective effect could be observed under anodic polarization by way of a marked decrease in the anodic current. These results show the promising potential for the deposition of cellulose acetate films doped with amoxicillin onto AA2024-T3.     

Electrochemical studies on the corrosion inhibition of AA2024 aluminium alloy by rare earth ammonium nitrates in 3.5% NaCl solutions

The inhibitive effect of Ce(III) and Ce(IV) ammonium nitrate inhibitors on the corrosion behavior of aluminium alloy AA2024 in 3.5% NaCl solution has been investigated. Four different concentrations (10^?2, 10^?3, 10^?4, and 10^?5 M) of the inhibitors were studied. Ce³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺ ions are introduced into the corrosive medium with similar anionic compositions – (NH₄)₂Ce(NO₃)₅ and (NH₄)₂Ce(NO₃)₆. The inhibition efficiency (IE%) of the ions has been evaluated by using electrochemical methods – linear voltammetry (LVA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Moreover, the inhibitive ability has been investigated at different duration after addition of these salts into the corrosive media. It is established that the pH of the solutions plays an important role on the inhibition process for both cations. The results revealed that at relatively similar conditions, the cerium (III) ions showed higher inhibition efficiency than cerium (IV) ions, when they were compared to the case without inhibitor.     

Electrochemical study of modified cerium-silane bi-layer on Al alloy 2024-T3

In this paper, the performance of bis-1, 2-(triethoxysilyl) ethane (BTSE) as a pre-treatment to protect the AA 2024-T3 against corrosion has been investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization curves, and the scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET). The microstructural and morphological characterizations were carried out via scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy and the chemical composition evaluated using contact angle measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The electrochemical results showed that the additives improved the anticorrosion properties of the coating. The chemical characterization indicated that additives contribute to an increased degree of surface coverage, as well as to a more complete reticulation. The SVET results evidenced the self-healing abilities of Ce ions.     

CeO2-filled sol–gel coatings for corrosion protection of AA2024-T3 aluminium alloy

Hybrid organic–inorganic sol–gel-matrices, with up to 20 wt.% incorporated ceria nanoparticles, have been employed as coatings for an AA2024-T3 aluminium alloy. The morphology of the coatings and associated nanoparticles has been examined by conventional and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, revealing a relatively uniform distribution of 5 nm size nanoparticles across the coating thickness. Electrochemical studies indicate a general beneficial effect of incorporation of ceria nanoparticles, although the performance of the coated alloy depends on the nanoparticle content. Electrochemical polarisation behaviour revealed that the coating decreased the anodic current density by about seven orders of magnitude compared with the uncoated alloy, with high breakdown potentials in chloride-containing solution. Accelerated salt spray testing showed that corrosion in an artificial scratch is blocked most efficiently by high ceria contents, whereas general corrosion is inhibited effectively with comparatively low ceria contents. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicated degradation of the barrier properties of coatings with increased amounts of incorporated nanoparticles. Assessment of the abrasion and scratch resistance, and hydrophobicity also revealed additional beneficial functional properties of the coatings containing nanoparticles.     

Electrochemical study of modified non-functional bis-silane layers on Al alloy 2024-T3

In the last few years great efforts have been made in order to find and to develop environmentally friendly substitutes for Cr⁶⁺ pre-treatments applied on aluminium alloys used in the aircraft industry. Among the potential substitutes, silane layers have attracted considerable interest from researchers and from the industry. The present work investigates the anti-corrosion behaviour of (bis-1, 2-(triethoxysilyl) ethane (BTSE)) silane layers modified with Ce ions and/or silica nanoparticles applied on Al alloy 2024-T3 substrates. The corrosion behaviour was investigated in 0.1 M NaCl solution via d.c. polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Contact angle measurements and XPS were used to assess information on the chemistry of the silane pre-treated surfaces. The results have shown that the introduction of additives improves the corrosion protection properties of the silane layer.