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On-demand release of corrosion-inhibiting ions from amorphous Al–Co–Ce alloys

Nature Materials volume 4, pages 667–670 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Controlled release technologies are often used to supply chemicals or drugs at given rates1,2. Release often occurs on contact with solution. However, some applications, such as corrosion protection, require containment of the active species in a reservoir and their slow release when needed. Conductive polymers have been used as reservoirs for corrosion inhibitors whose triggered release occurs by galvanic reduction or ion exchange3,4,5,6,7. This work shows one of the first examples of pH-controlled release of corrosion-inhibiting ions from an amorphous metallic coating where the pH change that triggers release is a consequence of the onset of corrosion. This corrosion-inhibition strategy provides further corrosion protection beyond the traditional roles of barrier and sacrificial cathodic protection using a metal coating8. For instance, zinc galvanizing provides sacrificial cathodic protection and acts as a barrier9, but does not supply inhibitor ions. In the coating described here, protection of an underlying structural alloy exposed at coating defects is demonstrated by inhibitor ion release in addition to barrier function and sacrificial cathodic protection.

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Figure 1: Active corrosion inhibition from amorphous metallic coating and inhibitor storage in metal.
Figure 2: Experimental proof of inhibitor storage and release from Al–Co–Ce metallic coating.
Figure 3: Measurement and modelling of inhibitor release from an Al–Co–Ce amorphous alloy.
Figure 4: Distributions of pit diameters on the AA2024-T3 surface.

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Acknowledgements

A Multi-University Research Initiative entitled ‘The Development of an Environmentally Compliant Multifunctional Coating for Aerospace Applications using Molecular and Nanoengineering Methods’ supported this work under the direction of Jennifer Gresham at AFOSR.

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  1. Department of Material Science and Engineering, The Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, 116 Engineer’s Way, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22904-4741, USA

    M. A. Jakab & J. R. Scully

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Correspondence to J. R. Scully.

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Jakab, M., Scully, J. On-demand release of corrosion-inhibiting ions from amorphous Al–Co–Ce alloys. Nature Mater 4, 667–670 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1451

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