Abstract
An ASTM standard copper strip corrosion test is typically utilized to evaluate the corrosiveness of biodiesel toward a copper surface. Unfortunately, this technique is limited in its ability to qualify and distinguish the extent of attack for low-corrosiveness biodiesel. In this study, a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor using a copper layer was evaluated as a potentially more accurate means of assessing the aggressiveness of low-corrosiveness biodiesel. The experiments utilizing two different sensor designs were carried out at room temperature, and the results then were compared with those obtained by the ASTM standard copper strip corrosion standard test. The SPR-based technique was demonstrated to be considerably more sensitive than the ASTM standard, and it was capable of detecting a change in thickness with corrosion of less than 1.3 nm.
