Atmospheric corrosion of Cu, Zn, and Cu-Zn alloys protected by self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols

• In this article results from earlier studies have been compiled in order to compare the protection efficiency of self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of alkanethiols for copper, zinc, and copper-zinc alloys exposed to accelerated indoor atmospheric corrosion conditions. The results are based on a combination of surface spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. The protection efficiency of investigated SAMs increases with chain length which is attributed to transport hindrance of the corrosion stimulators in the atmospheric environment, water, oxygen and formic acid, towards the copper surface. The transport hindrance is selective and results in different corrosion products on bare and on protected copper. Initially the molecular structure of SAMs on copper is well ordered, but the ordering is reduced with exposure time. Octadecanethiol (ODT), the longest alkanethiol investigated, protects copper significantly better than zinc, which may be attributed to the higher bond strength of Cu-S than of Zn-S. Despite these differences, the corrosion protection efficiency of ODT for the single phase Cu20Zn brass alloy is equally efficient as for copper, but significantly less for the heterogeneous double phase Cu40Zn brass alloy.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Den kondenserade materiens fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Condensed Matter Physics (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Self-assembled monolayers

Copper

Brass

Atmospheric corrosion

Vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy

Infrared reflection/absorption spectroscopy

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ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)