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In situ monitoring of corrosion mechanisms and phosphate inhibitor surface deposition during corrosion of zinc–magnesium–aluminium (ZMA) alloys using novel time-lapse microscopy

James Sullivan Orcid Logo, Nathan Cooze Orcid Logo, Callum Gallagher, Tom Lewis, Tomas Prosek, Dominique Thierry

Faraday Discuss., Volume: 180, Pages: 361 - 379

Swansea University Authors: James Sullivan Orcid Logo, Nathan Cooze Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1039/C4FD00251B

Abstract

In-situ time-lapse optical microscopy was used to examine the microstructural corrosion mechanisms in three zinc-magnesium-aluminium (ZMA) alloy coated steels immersed in 1% NaCl pH 7. Preferential corrosion of MgZn2 lamellae within the eutectic phases was observed in all the ZMA alloys followed by...

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Published in: Faraday Discuss.
ISSN: 1359-6640 1364-5498
Published: 2015
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21370
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Abstract: In-situ time-lapse optical microscopy was used to examine the microstructural corrosion mechanisms in three zinc-magnesium-aluminium (ZMA) alloy coated steels immersed in 1% NaCl pH 7. Preferential corrosion of MgZn2 lamellae within the eutectic phases was observed in all the ZMA alloys followed by subsequent dissolution of Zn rich phases. The total extent and rate of corrosion, measured using time-lapse image analysis and scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) estimated mass loss, decreased as Mg and Al alloying additions were increased up to a level of 3 wt% Mg and 3.7 wt% Al. This was probably due to the increased presence of MgO and Al2O3 at the alloy surface retarding the kinetics of cathodic oxygen reduction. The addition of 1 x 10-2 mol/dm3 Na3PO4 to 1% NaCl pH 7 had a dramatic influence on the corrosion mechanism for a ZMA with passivation of anodic sites through phosphate precipitation observed using time-lapse. Intriguing rapid precipitation of filamentous phosphate was also observed and it is postulated that these filaments nucleate and grow due to super saturation effects. Polarisation experiments showed that the addition of 1 x 10-2 mol/dm3 Na3PO4 to the 1% NaCl electrolyte promoted an anodic shift of 50mV in open circuit potential for the ZMA alloy with a reduction in anodic current of 2.5 orders of magnitude suggesting that it was acting primarily as an anodic inhibitor supporting the inferences from the time-lapse investigations. These phosphate additions resulted in a 98% reduction in estimated mass loss as measured by SVET demonstrating the effectiveness of phosphate inhibitors for this alloy system.
College: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Start Page: 361
End Page: 379

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