Quantitative Understanding of the Environmental Effect on B10 Copper Alloy Corrosion in Seawater

Feasibility of Carbon Nanoparticle Coatings as Protective Barriers for Copper─Wetting Assessment

Copper is extensively used in a wide range of industrial and daily-life applications, varying from heat exchangers to electrical wiring. Although it is protected from oxidation by its native oxide layer, when subjected to harsh environmental conditions─such as in coastal regions─this metal can rapidly degrade. Therefore, in this study, we analyze the potential use of carbon nanoparticle coatings as protective barriers due to their intrinsic hydrophobic wetting behavior. The nanocarbon coatings were produced via electrophoretic deposition on Cu platelets and characterized via scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and sessile drop test; the latter being the primary focus since it provides insights into the wetting behavior of the produced coatings. Among the measured coatings, graphite flakes, graphene oxide, and carbon nanotube (CNT) coatings showed superhydrophobic behavior. Based on their wetting behavior, and specifically for electrical applications, CNT coatings showed the most promising results since these coatings do not significantly impact the substrate's electrical conductivity. Although CNT agglomerates do not affect the wetting behavior of the attained coatings, the coating's thickness plays an important role. Therefore, to completely coat the substrate, the CNT coating should be sufficiently thick─above approximately 1 μm.

Corrosion in seawater desalination industry: A critical analysis of impacts and mitigation strategies

In the current world, freshwater production by clean energy sources with minimum environmental footprints is the main challenge for humankind which is dramatically deteriorating by overexploitation of available water resources. Seawater desalination technology greatly contributes to the mitigation of these serious conditions to produce potable water. However, because desalination plants handle extremely aggressive seawater under stringent operational conditions, they are highly vulnerable to insidious effects of corrosion primarily in the form of general and localized corrosion. Moreover, mineral scaling and bio-fouling are major challenges that further exacerbate corrosion phenomena. So, to ensure the continual operation and curbing corrosion in seawater desalination systems, strict monitoring and selection of highly corrosion-resistance materials are of prime concern. The present paper briefly explores fundamental concepts of corrosion in the desalination industry besides discussing different mitigation strategies for reducing the pernicious effects of corrosion which gravely impair environment quality and durability of desalination infrastructures. Moreover, the authors propose the knowledge gaps and perspectives to delineate the future research direction. Effective solutions for avoiding seawater stagnation, developing highly sophisticated coatings and surface modification technologies, application of advanced computational programs for accurate prediction of possible corrosion failure in desalination plants, and using quantum technology and magnetic corrosion inhibitor in seawater desalination are recommended as an urgent future research focus to combat against corrosion. On the whole, despite outstanding breakthroughs in the field of corrosion control in the desalination industry, the long-term performance of current materials is highly controversial as still many cases of corrosion failures have been reported which indicates the necessity of intensive research work.

Development of a New AuCuZnGe Alloy and Determination of Its Corrosion Properties

In this paper, we present the idea and development of a new gold-copper-zinc-germanium (AuCuZnGe) alloy, which is related to the method of production and research of its key properties, so that the new Au alloy could be used for jewelry production and in dental technology. The research design was associated with the determination of appropriate chemical composition, manufacturing technology, and performing the characterization. Melting and casting technologies were used to cast the AuCuZnGe alloy while rolling was used to prepare the cylinders and cutting to make square plates with a = 10 mm and thickness of 1 mm. Such plates were provided for corrosion testing. Observation of the plate′s microstructure was performed with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) equipped by Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Corrosion testing involved performing the following measurements: Polarization, the open circuit potentials, and linear polarization resistance. Based on the SEM, EDS, XRD, and results of corrosion testing it can be concluded that the new AuCuZnGe alloy possesses high corrosion stability and can be classified as a high noble alloy.