Time-Dependent Corrosion Behaviors of Al-Si Coated Steel Sheet Under a Chlorine-Containing Wet–Dry Cycling Environment
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Materials
2.2. Methods
3. Results and Analysis
3.1. Surface Macroscopic Morphology Characterization
3.2. Micro-Morphology Characterization
3.2.1. Surface Micro-Morphology Characterization
3.2.2. Cross-Sectional Micro-Morphology Characterization
3.3. Corrosion Product Analysis
3.4. Electrochemical Characterization Analysis
3.4.1. Polarization Curve Analysis
3.4.2. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Analysis
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- The corrosion evolution of the experimental steel exposed to a 3.5% NaCl wet–dry cyclic environment exhibited distinctly phased characteristics, which could be categorized into three main stages: the intact coating protection stage, the rapid film breakdown stage, and the dynamic equilibrium stage of corrosion products. At the early corrosion stage (1 day), the coating remained intact, and the dense Al2O3 passive film formed on its surface provided an effective physical barrier, with a corrosion current density as low as 1.77 µA/cm2 and a charge-transfer resistance as high as 652 Ω·cm2, indicating a low corrosion rate and excellent protective performance. During the middle stage (8 days), chloride ions rapidly penetrated along micro-defects in the coating and cracks in the passive film, inducing localized galvanic corrosion that led to partial failure of the coating; the corrosion current density therefore surged to 13.25 µA/cm2, while the charge-transfer resistance dropped to 156.6 Ω·cm2. In the later stage (10–20 days), the underlying iron became exposed and generated stable rust layers consisting of α-FeOOH and Fe2O3, accompanied by the formation of a silica gel network from the silicon-enriched layer; as a result, the charge-transfer resistance recovered from 156.6 Ω·cm2 to 424 Ω·cm2, marking the transition of corrosion into a slow, stable phase.
- (2)
- Significant phase evolution and morphological iteration of the corrosion products on the experimental steel were observed over the corrosion time. At the early stage, elemental Al and a small amount of Al2O3 were mainly present, with no detectable iron-based corrosion products. During the middle stage, the coating began to fail, and amorphous iron oxyhydroxides along with lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) were successively generated; the rust layer exhibited a loose, porous, flocculent structure, reflecting poor protective capability. In the later stage, the corrosion products gradually transformed into stable crystalline phases such as goethite (α-FeOOH) and Fe2O3, accompanied by a marked increase in crystallinity. Concurrently, the characteristic Al-O-H peak attenuated, whereas the Si-O-Si vibrational peak intensified continuously.
- (3)
- The failure critical point of the experimental steel was observed at approximately 8 to 10 days of wet–dry cyclic corrosion, manifested primarily by the complete disappearance of the characteristic Al diffraction peak, localized coating damage, and the first appearance of corrosion products derived from the underlying iron. Internal stresses induced by the wet–dry cycling caused a mud cracking structure within the coating corrosion products, thereby providing diffusion pathways for Cl−. More electrochemically active than the Si phase, the Al phase preferentially underwent sacrificial anodic dissolution, which accelerated film breakdown. After aluminum was consumed by corrosion, the inert Si component became enriched at the surface and interface and gradually oxidized to form SiO2. This silicon-rich layer subsequently intermixed with iron-based oxyhydroxides generated during the later stage, yielding a dense and chemically stable composite physical barrier that significantly impeded further Cl− diffusion toward the substrate.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Parameters | Specific Numerical Value |
|---|---|
| Salt solution | A neutral NaCl solution with a concentration of 3.5% |
| Chamber temperature | (45 ± 2) °C |
| Chamber humidity | 70 ± 5% RH |
| Periodic cycle | Each cycle lasts for 60 min, with an immersion duration of 12 min |
| Test duration | 1, 8, 10, and 20 days, respectively |
| Corrosion Period | Icorr (μA/cm2) | Ecorr (mV) | βa (mV/dec) | βc (mV/dec) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | 1.772 | −671 | 11.241 | 9.374 |
| 8 Day | 13.25 | −642 | 5.319 | 7.459 |
| 10 Day | 3.046 | −682 | 8.290 | 10.936 |
| 20 Day | 4.443 | −666 | 7.143 | 9.925 |
| Corrosion Period | Rs/(Ω·cm2) | CPE1 −T(Y0) | CPE1 −P(n) | R1/(Ω·cm2) | CPE2 −T(Y0) | CPE2 −P(n) | R2/(Ω·cm2) | χ2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | 19.43 | 5.527 × 10−9 | 0.98537 | 84.76 | 0.00024023 | 0.60998 | 652.4 | 0.00023841 |
| 8 Day | 12.5 | 1.713 × 10−7 | 0.94989 | 68.55 | 0.0004535 | 0.60481 | 156.6 | 0.00017496 |
| 10 Day | 20.77 | 5.866 × 10−9 | 0.99956 | 65.84 | 0.00040488 | 0.59536 | 323.5 | 0.00023383 |
| 20 Day | 18.96 | 6.860 × 10−9 | 0.98806 | 65.51 | 0.0004241 | 0.60906 | 424 | 0.00018605 |
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Lu, C.; Liu, W.; Wei, H.; Gu, H.; Zhang, Y.; Cui, L.; Pan, H.; Wang, H.; Shen, X.; Liu, Y.; et al. Time-Dependent Corrosion Behaviors of Al-Si Coated Steel Sheet Under a Chlorine-Containing Wet–Dry Cycling Environment. Coatings 2026, 16, 631. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16060631
Lu C, Liu W, Wei H, Gu H, Zhang Y, Cui L, Pan H, Wang H, Shen X, Liu Y, et al. Time-Dependent Corrosion Behaviors of Al-Si Coated Steel Sheet Under a Chlorine-Containing Wet–Dry Cycling Environment. Coatings. 2026; 16(6):631. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16060631
Chicago/Turabian StyleLu, Chunlin, Weiming Liu, Hailian Wei, Hairong Gu, Yun Zhang, Lei Cui, Hongbo Pan, Huiting Wang, Xiaohui Shen, Yonggang Liu, and et al. 2026. "Time-Dependent Corrosion Behaviors of Al-Si Coated Steel Sheet Under a Chlorine-Containing Wet–Dry Cycling Environment" Coatings 16, no. 6: 631. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16060631
APA StyleLu, C., Liu, W., Wei, H., Gu, H., Zhang, Y., Cui, L., Pan, H., Wang, H., Shen, X., Liu, Y., & Xiao, Y. (2026). Time-Dependent Corrosion Behaviors of Al-Si Coated Steel Sheet Under a Chlorine-Containing Wet–Dry Cycling Environment. Coatings, 16(6), 631. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16060631

