Corrosion protection system approach interface engineering

I. SYSTEM APPROACH INTERFACE ENGINEERING FOR CORROSION PROTECTION... 

In this chapter, corrosion protection of metal is used to illustrate the importance of interfacial factors and the role of system approach interface engineering. When a coating is applied in order to protect a substrate, the factors, particularly interfacial factors demonstrated by examples of corrosion protection, play important roles regardless of the nature of protection to be accomplished. An excellent coating cannot function well with poor interfaces. The creation of stronger interface is the core of SAIE. 

An ultrathin layer of plasma polymer of trimethylsilane (TMS) has been utilized in the corrosion protection of aluminum alloys by means of system approach interface engineering (SAIE) [1 ]. SAIE by means of low-temperature plasmas utilizes low-temperature plasma treatment and the deposition of a nanolilm by luminous chemical vapor deposition (LCVD). This approach does not rely on the electrochemical corrosion-protective agents such as six-valence chromium, and hence the process is totally environmentally benign. 

System approach interface engineering (SAIE) by means of low-pressure plasma in corrosion protection of metals was first applied on cold-rolled steel (CRS) [1-3]. Unlike aluminum alloys described in the previous chapters, oxides on the surface of steel and iron are less stable than those on aluminum alloys, i.e., iron oxides formed on the surface do not have corrosion protecting capability of iron underneath and hence are more vulnerable for corrosion. On the other hand, the oxides on the surface of steel can be removed by plasma treatment, particularly of (Ar- -H2) plasma. Hence, SAIE could be performed in totally dry processes. The improvement of corrosion protection by means of environmentally benign process was the motivation for the approach. 

Reddy, C. M., Yu, Q. S., Mofiitt, C. E., Wiehczka,D. M., Johnson, W., etal. 2000. Improved corrosion protection of aluminum aUoys by system approach interface engineering Part 1 - Alclad 2024-T3. Corrosion, 56, 819-831. 

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