Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA), combined with argon ion sputtering, was used to obtain the thickness and composition profile of a mild steel tube from a dynamic simulation test (i.e. Pilot Cooling Tower) of a stabilized phosphate program. The surface layer was found to be 3500 Angstroms thick, and contained carbon, phosphorus, calcium, iron, and oxygen. The relative amounts and chemical state of the elements were found to vary with the thickness of the film. The interface between the film and the mild steel tube was found to be predominantly FeOOH, with a small amount of FePO4. The results have been explained in terms of a mechanism of corrosion inhibition.

Subject
Films, Inhibitor films, Phosphonates, Oxide films, Iron, Phosphates, Film formation, Sputter deposition, Corrosion inhibitors, Steel, Oxygen, Elements, Anodic inhibitors
© 1989 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1989
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
You do not currently have access to this content.