Thin Protective Coatings on Metals Formed by Organic Corrosion Inhibitors in Neutral Media

Protection of metals in neutral media with pH 5.0–9.0 (in humid atmospheres and various aqueous solutions) can be achieved by formation of thin coatings (up to several tens of nm) on their surfaces due to adsorption and more complex chemical interactions of organic corrosion inhibitors (OCIs) with the metal to be protected. The review contains three sections. The first section deals with coatings formed in aqueous solutions, while the second one, with those formed in organic and water-organic solvents. Here we consider metal protection by coatings mainly formed by the best-known classes of OCI (carboxylates, organophosphates and phosphonates) and estimation of its efficiency. The third section discusses the peculiarities of protection of metals in the vapor-gas phase, i.e., by volatile OCIs, and a relatively new type of metal protection against atmospheric corrosion by the so-called chamber inhibitors. OCIs with relatively low volatility under normal conditions can be used as chamber OCIs. To obtain a protective coating on the surfaces of metal items, they are placed in a chamber inside which an increased concentration of vapors of a chamber OCI is maintained by increasing the temperature. This review mainly focuses on the protection of iron, steels, copper and zinc.

Fabrication of Cu–CuO–Fe2O3/Fe anti-sticky and superhydrophobic surfaces on an iron substrate with mechanical abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance

Superhydrophobic Cu–CuO–Fe₂O₃/Fe surfaces with excellent mechanical abrasion resistance and anti-corrosion property were fabricated via immersion and annealing.

Robust dendritic Ag–Fe2O3/Fe surfaces with exquisite catalytic properties

Illustration of the morphology and applications of Ag–Fe₂O₃/Fe surfaces.

Fabrication of water-repellent surfaces on galvanized steel

The fabricated superhydrophobic galvanized steel surfaces possess a hierarchic micro/nano texture. Micro-texture is incorporated by sandblasting, while the nano-texture by “soft” acid etching.

Controllable wettability of micro- and nano-dendritic structures formed on aluminum substrates

A stable superhydrophobic surface with excellent anti-corrosion, anti-icing and deicing properties has been fabricated via annealing treatment from a superhydrophilic surface.