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CORROSION RESEARCH CENTER
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Basic understanding of the corrosion of metals and semiconductors covered by humidity films is at present at a low level due to the intrinsic complexity of the relevant phenomena and the difficulty of measuring the electrochemical potential since conventional electrodes cannot be inserted into aqueous layers of sub-micron thicknesses. The recent adaptation of the Kelvin (vibrating condenser) technique to measure in contactless fashion the electrochemical potential of a specimen in a humid atmosphere has laid the foundation for the electrochemical study of atmospheric corrosion.
We have built a scanning Kelvin microprobe which measures the electrochemical potential with about 50 micrometer spatial resolution. By using AgCl-covered silver wire and calibrating against redox solutions the Kelvin measurements can be related to the standard hydrogen scale of electrochemical potential. Our apparatus has been applied to galvanic corrosion of zinc-coupled copper, the work function topography of anodic TiO2 films, the corrosion of copper caused by ionic particles in humid gases, and the corrosion of low- alloy steels in humid air. We have also constructed two similar instruments for two industrial laboratories. Current work is directed to designing a scanning Kelvin microprobe with in-situ scanning spectroscopic capability to obtain chemical information concomitantly with the corrosion potential, all as a function of time and position.
It has been found that a nuclear reaction may accompany the electrochemical deposition of hydrogen upon metals. This is completely unexpected and unexplainable by contemporary physics and is being studied by means of alpha particle track detectors. The aims of this research are to ascertain the conditions necessary for the occurrence of the phenomenon, and to understand the nature of the nuclear reaction. The ultimate goal is to develop a useful, non-polluting source of energy in the future.
CRC AREAS OF RESEARCH