Corrosion

From monitoring and mitigation of corrosion of large scale infrastructure (concrete, pipes, industrial processes) to design of novel mitigation protective surfaces on light weight alloys, corrosion research in the Department of Materials Engineering focuses on developing an understanding of the processes that affect lifetime of materials and structures.   Research projects include investigation of the use of corrosion inhibitors and cathodic protection for steel reinforced concrete (both marine and urban environments) and in particular developing better corrosion monitoring methodologies. 

The development of novel inhibitors based on rare earth- organic compounds for consideration as chromate replacements is an ongoing program of research in the department.  In collaboration with our chemistry colleagues (Profs. G.B.Deacon and P.Junk) we continue to develop inhibitor compounds for specific applications (i.e. different alloys, aqueous environments, coatings etc) and are investigating the inhibition mechanisms and how they relate to the metallurgy.  This uses a multipronged approach including traditional d.c and a.c electrochemical techniques, localised electrochemical methods such as micro-cell and LEIS, in addition to surface characterisation which includes ATR-FTIR, micro-Raman, XPS, SEM and TOF-SIMS. 

The passivation of reactive metals and metal alloys such as those based on Mg is also being investigated using Ionic Liquid based treatments.  Once again the electrochemical properties and chemical and morphological nature of the film formed on the metal surface is being investigated by both electrochemical and surface techniques presented above.

A large program of corrosion related, and more generally Surface Engineering, activities is also underway under the banner of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals. This includes development and design of more corrosion resistant light alloys, metallic coatings and claddings and research into gradient structures. Such work has a strong emphasis on the metallurgy-corrosion relationships for revealing mechanisms at play and serving as a design tool. Techniques used include electrochemical AFM and STM, coupled with high-resolution microscopy and advanced electrochemical analyses.
Corrosion activities in the area of cast Mg alloys are also carried out in partnership with the Cooperative Research Centre for Cast Metals Manufacturing (CAST).

Other industrially sponsored projects include the investigation of stray currents and holiday detection in coatings for coated steel pipe.

Active Researchers:

Maria Forsyth

Nick Birbilis

Brian Cherry