Fractal research on AFM images of polycrystalline aluminum surface with adsorption film of SDS inhibitor

We propose a new method of fractal analysis of the phase images obtained by the atomic-force microscopy (AFM) to study the properties of molecular adsorption films of corrosion inhibitors on the coarse polycrystalline surface, which can hardly be distinguished by using AFM height images due to the roughness of the surface. The system of polycrystalline aluminum and SDS (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate) inhibitor is chosen as the research object. The electrochemical measurements of aluminum electrodes precoated with SDS films are carried out in HCl solutions, and the results show that the inhibition efficiency increases with the concentration of SDS in the prefilming solution and then remains nearly constant as the CMC (critical micelle concentration) of SDS is exceeded. The fractal analysis of the AFM images of prefilmed aluminum surfaces obtained in SDS solutions is performed and demonstrates that, as the SDS concentration increases, no obvious changes are observed for the fractal dimensions of height images, whereas the phase images present regular changes in the values of fractal dimensions, thus displaying the consistent alteration rule as revealed by electrochemical tests. The results prove the feasibility of the fractal analysis of AFM phase images in characterizing the adsorption behavior of the corrosion inhibitor on polycrystalline coarse surfaces.