Abstract
The concept of surface modification as a new method of corrosion protection using chemicals without toxic problems is described for the Al alloys Al 6061, Al 7075-T6 and Al 2024-T3. In the Ce-Mo process Ce and Mo are incorporated into the original oxide film by chemical and electrochemical processes. The resulting surfaces are resistant to pitting in aggressive solutions such as 0.5 N NaCl. Surface modified Al 6013 has passed the salt spray test according to ASTM B 117. For Al 6061 and 7075, hot solutions of CeCl3 and Ce(NO3)3 are used, while for Al 2024 CeCl3 is replaced by Ce acetate. For all alloys anodic polarization is carried out in Na2MoO4. For Al 2024 and Al 7075 a Cu removal pre-treatment step is used in which Cu intermetallic compounds are removed from the outer surface layers. The resistance to localized corrosion has been evaluated by recording of impedance spectra in 0.5 N NaCl for 30 days. Surface analysis data suggest that Ce and Mo are concentrated at sites where local cathodes such as Cu intermetallic compounds are located. Polarization curves show that both the cathodic and the anodic reaction are inhibited on modified surfaces. The pitting potential Epit is increased for surface modified samples at constant corrosion potential Ecorr. This result could be due to a decrease of the amount of Cl− adsorbed at a given potential for oxide layers containing Ce and Mo.
