The localized corrosion of Al at engineered Cu islands

Arrays of engineered copper islands on an aluminum thin-film matrix have been employed to investigate the role of copper in localized corrosion of Al-Cu alloys. When exposed to dilute NaCl solutions, the engineered samples corrode with a morphology similar to that observed in second-phase particles in real alloys. In-situ fluorescence microscopy allows the observation of oxygen reduction at copper islands during corrosion of the underlying aluminum thin-film matrix. The spacing between engineered copper islands was found to strongly influence the corrosion rate of the surrounding matrix. For more information, contact N. Missert, Department of Nanostructure and Semiconductor Physics, MS 1415, P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1415; (505) 844-2234; fax (505) 844-1197; e-mail namisse@sandia.gov.