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Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals

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A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Corrosion and Protection".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 20830

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Prof. Dr. Guosong Wu

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College of Mechanics and Materials, Hohai University, Nanjing, 221100, China
Interests: coatings; surface modification; corrosion; plasma-related technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jiapeng Sun

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College of Mechanics and Materials, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
Interests: magnesium alloys; corrosion science; strengthening; atomic simulation; surface engineering
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Dr. Hao Wu

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Guangdong Key Laboratory of Materials and Equipment in Harsh Marine Environment & School of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Guangzhou Maritime University, Guangzhou 510725, China
Interests: corrosion protection; magnesium alloys; surface engineering; coating technology; plasma surface modification; electrochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Magnesium alloys, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys and other related lightweight engineering materials are commonly used in the automotive, aerospace, and electronics industries, as well as in biomedical fields. Currently, it is also well known that their undesirable corrosion resistance in most service environments hinders their industrial applications. Therefore, understanding the different corrosion mechanisms of these lightweight engineering materials in different working environments and developing associated methods for their corrosion protection is imperative.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide an open platform for metallurgists, materials scientists, and engineers to share and disseminate recent research advances on the corrosion and protection of lightweight engineering materials. The potential topics of this Special Issue are diverse, encompassing alloying, processing, surface treatment, and electrochemical protection. It welcomes both experimental and theoretical studies and accepts original research as well as review articles.

Prof. Dr. Guosong Wu
Dr. Jiapeng Sun
Dr. Hao Wu
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

magnesium
aluminum
titanium
corrosion
surface treatment
coating
oxidation

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 4565 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Corrosion and Formation of Surface Films on AZ31 Mg Alloy in Aqueous Solution Containing Sulfate Ions with Different pHs

by Duyoung Kwon, Hien Van Pham, Pungkeun Song and Sungmo Moon

Metals 2023, 13(7), 1150; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13071150 - 21 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1050

Abstract

This study aims to clarify how a solution’s pH can influence the corrosion and formation of surface films on the AZ31 Mg alloy in aqueous solutions containing sulfate ions. The corrosion and surface film formation behaviors were examined using in situ observation, open-circuit potential (OCP) transient, weight change measurement and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The morphologies of the surface films were analyzed via metal/insulator/metal (MIM) coloring and FESEM. The findings show that at pH 2, severe corrosion occurred together with rapid hydrogen evolution and formation of a highly porous surface film with numerous cracks. However, at pH 3, the corrosion rate dropped significantly and remarkably low corrosion rates were observed at pH 4 and 10. At pH 11 and 12, weight gains were noticed, suggesting the growth of surface films on the AZ31 Mg alloy. Flake-like films formed at pH 12, while needle-like structures were present between pH 3 and 11. Impedance measurements revealed increased impedance at higher pH of sulfate-ion-containing solutions. Higher impedance was related to the formation of denser surface films on the AZ31 Mg alloy. In addition, the films displayed metal/insulator/metal (MIM) colors via Au coating above pH 4, indicating uniform film thickness despite the presence of needle-like or flake-like structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals)

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13 pages, 3724 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of the Anodizing Time on the Microstructure and Immersion Stability of Tartaric-Sulfuric Acid Anodized Aluminum Alloys

by Florian Raffin, Jacques Echouard and Polina Volovitch

Metals 2023, 13(5), 993; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13050993 - 20 May 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1699

Abstract

Tartaric-sulfuric acid anodizing (TSA) has been selected by the aerospace industry to replace Cr(VI)-based anodizing treatments of aluminum alloys. Modification of the bath composition can result in the necessity to revise the process conditions, including the time necessary to obtain the desired properties of the anodized layer. This study focuses on the microstructure and immersion stability of the pilot scale anodized AA2024 aluminum alloy, with anodizing times of 25 min and 45 min. The layer structure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GD-OES). The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to evaluate the corrosion resistance and immersion stability of the samples in 0.01 M NaCl solution. The density of pores formed in the 45 min anodized samples was higher which correlated with higher impedance modulus at equivalent immersion time and higher thickness of the oxide layer. Contact angle measurements demonstrated better wettability of the 45 min anodized sample. The results suggest that 45 min anodizing offers higher corrosion resistance and better initial adhesion with subsequent post-treatment such as sealing or painting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals)

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13 pages, 80879 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Corrosion Behavior of the AZ31 Mg Alloy in Neutral Aqueous Solutions Containing Various Anions

by Duyoung Kwon, Hien Van Pham, Pungkeun Song and Sungmo Moon

Metals 2023, 13(5), 962; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13050962 - 16 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1469

Abstract

This work demonstrates the corrosion behavior of the AZ31 Mg alloy as a function of an immersion time of 48 h in 0.1 M HCl, H₂SO₄, H₃PO₄ and HF solutions, in which pH was adjusted to [...] Read more.

This work demonstrates the corrosion behavior of the AZ31 Mg alloy as a function of an immersion time of 48 h in 0.1 M HCl, H₂SO₄, H₃PO₄ and HF solutions, in which pH was adjusted to 6 to exclude the contribution of hydrogen ions (H⁺) and hydroxide ions (OH⁻). In situ observations, open circuit potential (OCP), weight changes and AC impedance measurements were performed with an immersion time of 48 h and the morphologies and chemical compositions of the surface products after 48 h of immersion were analyzed by SEM, EDS and XPS. In the chloride ion (Cl⁻)-containing solution, the corrosion of the AZ31 Mg alloy initiated locally and propagated discontinuously over the surface with immersion time. The OCP value of the AZ31 Mg alloy showed an initial increase from −1.51 V_Ag/AgCl to −1.47 V_Ag/AgCl after about 5 h of immersion and then a decrease to −1.51 V_Ag/AgCl due to corrosion initiation. In the F⁻-containing solution, after 48 h of immersion, the OCP showed an extremely large value of −0.6 V_Ag/AgCl, while the relatively lower values of −1.52 V_Ag/AgCl, −1.59 V_Ag/AgCl were seen in the solutions containing SO₄²⁻ and PO₄³, respectively. In the sulfate ion (SO₄²⁻)-containing neutral aqueous solution, needle-like surface films were formed and there were no changes in the weight of the AZ31 Mg alloy with immersion time. In the phosphate ion (PO₄³⁻)-containing neutral aqueous solution, a vigorous gas evolution occurred, together with the formation of black surface films with cracks, and a high corrosion rate of −13.8018 × 10⁻³ g·cm⁻²·day⁻¹ was obtained. In the fluoride ion (F⁻)-containing neutral aqueous solution, a surface film with crystalline grains of MgF₂ was formed and the weight of the AZ31 Mg alloy increased continuously with immersion time. In conclusion, the corrosion of the AZ31 Mg alloy occurred uniformly in neutral phosphate solution but locally in chloride solution. No corrosion was observed in either the neutral sulfate or fluoride solutions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals)

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13 pages, 13119 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Effect of Superhydrophobic Surface on Corrosion Resistance of Magnesium-Neodymium Alloy in Artificial Hand Sweat

by Changyang Liu, Jiapeng Sun and Guosong Wu

Metals 2023, 13(2), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13020219 - 24 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1377

Abstract

A superhydrophobic surface can endow metals with some intriguing characteristics such as self-cleaning behavior. In this study, a simple solution-immersion method based on the concept of predesigned corrosion is developed to enhance the corrosion resistance of a magnesium-neodymium alloy. The Mg alloy is directly soaked in potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution with the addition of ultrasound, and a layer of rough but dense coating is uniformly formed on the Mg-Nd alloy after the immersion process, which is mainly composed of MgHPO₄∙3H₂O. A superhydrophobic surface with an average wetting angle of 150.5° and a sliding angle of about 4.5° can be obtained on the Mg alloy by further chemical surface modification with perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane. This superhydrophobic surface has an interesting self-cleaning effect as well as good corrosion resistance in artificial hand sweat. In brief, this study provides a feasible way to prepare a superhydrophobic surface on the Mg-Nd alloy and reveals the effect of a superhydrophobic surface on the corrosion behavior of the Mg-Nd alloy, offering new technical insights into the corrosion protection of magnesium alloys. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals)

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13 pages, 3642 KiB

Open AccessArticle

AM60-AlN Nanocomposite and AM60 Alloy Corrosion Activity in Simulated Marine-Coastal Ambience

by Luis Chávez, Lucien Veleva, Gerardo Sánchez and Hajo Dieringa

Metals 2022, 12(12), 1997; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12121997 - 22 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1170

Abstract

The initial stages of AM60-AlN nanocomposite and AM60 corrosion behaviors were compared over 30 days of exposure to solution (

NaCl

{Na}_{2} {SO}_{4}

and

{NaHCO}_{3}

), simulating the marine-coastal environment (SME). The incorporation of AlN nanoparticles (1.0 wt.%) in [...] Read more.

The initial stages of AM60-AlN nanocomposite and AM60 corrosion behaviors were compared over 30 days of exposure to solution (

NaCl

{Na}_{2} {SO}_{4}

and

{NaHCO}_{3}

), simulating the marine-coastal environment (SME). The incorporation of AlN nanoparticles (1.0 wt.%) in the AM60 alloy matrix favored the lower roughness of the AM60-AlN, associated with the grain refinement in the matrix. During the immersion of the alloys, pH of the SME solution shifted to alkaline values >9, and therefore, the solubility of AlN aluminum hydroxide phases were raised, followed by a slightly higher release of Mg-ions and corrosion rate increase. The chloride ions attributed to the unstability of the Al-Mn phase and

Al {(OH)}_{3}

corrosion product was formed in a low content. The composite AM60-AlN presented lower value of the electrochemical noise resistance

(R_{n})

, suggesting that the corrosion process occurs with less difficulty. The localized corrosion near the Al-Mn cathodes seems to be stronger on the composite surface, in area and depth of penetration. The corrosion current fluctuations suggested that the corrosion is a weakly persistent process, dominated by the fractional Gaussian noise (fGn). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals)

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10 pages, 2280 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Corrosion Behavior in Hydrochloric Acid of Pure Titanium after Ultrasonic Severe Surface Rolling

by Qisheng Sun, Jiapeng Sun, Jing Han and Guosong Wu

Metals 2022, 12(11), 1951; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12111951 - 15 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1564

Abstract

Designing a gradient nanostructure is regarded as an effective strategy for strengthening commercial pure Ti without seriously sacrificing ductility. However, the corrosion behavior of the gradient nanostructured (GNS) pure Ti is far from clear, especially in reducing acid in which pure Ti shows poor corrosion resistance. The present paper aims at investigating the corrosion behavior of GNS pure Ti in hydrochloric acid by electrochemical method. The GNS surface layer is produced by a recently developed method called ultrasonic severe surface rolling. The GNS pure Ti exhibits spontaneous passivation behavior as well as the coarse-grained one in 1 M HCl. Due to the GNS surface layer, the corrosion current density and passive current density decrease by 70% and 54%, respectively, giving rise to significantly enhanced corrosion resistance and passivation ability. The better corrosion resistance is believed to be ascribed to the high-density grain boundaries and dislocations induced by the surface nano-grained structure as well as the smooth surface with few surface defects. The USSR processing also enlarges the static water contact angle of the pure Ti to 61.0 ± 0.3°. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals)

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18 pages, 6264 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effect of Heat Input on Hydrogen Embrittlement of TIG Welded 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel

by Jinxin Xue, Hao Wu, Chilou Zhou, Yuanming Zhang, Mohan He, Xinrui Yan, Huiyu Xie, Rui Yan and Yansheng Yin

Metals 2022, 12(11), 1943; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12111943 - 13 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1681

Abstract

Welds made with 304 austenitic stainless steel play an important role in high-pressure hydrogen storage systems. However, there are few investigations of the effect of heat input on the hydrogen embrittlement (HE) of tungsten inert gas (TIG) welded 304 austenitic stainless steel. In this study, the effect of heat input on the HE of TIG welded 304 austenitic stainless steel is investigated. It was found that with the increase in TIG welding heat input, the ferrite content in the weld shows a tendency to first increase and then decrease. From the perspective of morphology, it first changes from lathy ferrite and strip ferrite to dendritic ferrite, and then becomes reticular ferrite and lathy ferrite. Slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) testing shows that with the increase in heat input from TIG welding, the susceptibility of the weld to HE first increases and then decreases. Our study shows that TIG welds of 304 austenitic stainless steel exhibit the best HE resistance when the welding heat input is 0.778 kJ/mm, the relative elongation (RE) is 0.884, and the relative reduction of area (RRA) is 0.721. This work can provide a reference for the optimization of the 304 stainless steel TIG welding process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals)

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11 pages, 4225 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High Temperature Oxidation Behaviors of Powder Metallurgical γ-TiAl Based Alloys: Effects of Surface Defects on Morphology of the Oxide Scale

by Ziteng Su, Xiaolei Song, Zhenxin Duan, Hua Chen, Haoxuan Huang, Yang Liu and Ying Han

Metals 2022, 12(10), 1743; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12101743 - 17 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1400

Abstract

In the present work, γ-TiAl-based alloys with nominal composition of Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb (at.%) were prepared by vacuum hot pressing sintering using pre-alloyed powders under different pressures. The alloys were oxidized under cyclic conditions at 900 °C in the air for up to 100 h. The effects of surface defects on the morphology of the oxide scale were investigated. It was found that the alloys with increased porosities had increased mass gains after oxidation as a result of the increased area of oxidation reaction and the thickness of the scale, as well as the formation of micro-oxide clusters with an increased amount and size. These micro-clusters, which made the oxide layer rough, grew in the positions of surface defects. The diffusion of elements to the inner face of the defects led to the formation of large TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ particles and was responsible for the formation of oxide clusters. The phenomenon and corresponding mechanism proposed here have previously been unreported, and they may play a guiding role in investigations concerning the oxidation behaviors of TiAl alloys with defects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals)

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14 pages, 14185 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Corrosion Behavior of Gravity Cast and High-Pressure Die-Cast AM60 Mg Alloys with Ca and Y Addition

by Hui Yu, Xin Yang, Wei Yu, Youngmin Kim, Shaoming Kang, Lixin Huang, Bongsun You, Chunhai Liu, Kwangseon Shin and Weimin Zhao

Metals 2022, 12(3), 495; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12030495 - 15 Mar 2022

Viewed by 2018

Abstract

In this study, the microstructure and related corrosion behavior of AM60 alloys with/without Ca and Y addition upon gravity casting (GC) and high-pressure die-casting (HPDC) are investigated by means of SEM/EDS characterization, immersion/salt spray test, hydrogen releasing, as well as electrochemistry examination. When utilizing GC, AM60 alloy with Ca and Y addition (named AZXW6000 alloy) has better corrosion resistance compared with AM60 alloy. Thanks to grain refinement and second phase networks introduced in HPDC, the anti-corrosion properties of the AM alloy seem much better than those of the GC counterpart. The corrosion mechanism of both GCed and HPDCed AM60-based alloys is also investigated in detail. The inspiration from present work can provide more thinking for developing high corrosion-resistant Mg alloys using different casting methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals)

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24 pages, 6177 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Mg-Ca0.3 Electrochemical Activity Exposed to Hank’s Physiological Solution and Properties of Ag-Nano-Particles Deposits

by José Luis González-Murguía, Lucien Veleva, Geonel Rodríguez-Gattorno, Mayra Zyzlila Figueroa-Torres and Sebastián Feliu, Jr.

Metals 2021, 11(9), 1357; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11091357 - 29 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2724

Abstract

This work compares the degradation of Mg and Mg-Ca0.3 alloy when they are exposed for 14 days to Hank’s solution at 37 °C. A combination of immersion test, electrochemical techniques (PDP, EIS, EN), and surface characterization methods (SEM-EDS, XRD, and XPS) were carried out. The pH change over time, the lower mass loss (≈20%), and the lower concentration of the released Mg²⁺ ions (≈3.6 times), as well as the lower level of the surface degradation, allowed to consider the positive effect of Ca, presenting Mg-Ca0.3 alloy with lower electrochemical activity than that of Mg. The positive effect of Ca may be due to the formed layer characteristics on the alloy surface, which impedes the cathodic hydrogen evolution and Mg-ions release. The electroless deposited Ag-nano-particles (Ag-NPs) on Mg-Ca0.3 surface were characterized by SEM-EDS, XRD, UV-Vis, and contact angle. The agar-diffusion test was used to compare the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria on Mg-Ca0.3 in the presence of Ag-NPs deposits in different size. Zeta-potential of the bacteria was negative, with respect to pH of the Mueller-Hinton culture broth. The greater antibacterial effect of S. aureus was attributed to its more negative zeta-potential, attracting more released Ag⁺ ions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals)

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Review

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13 pages, 1894 KiB

Open AccessReview

Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion Mechanism of Ferrous Alloys in Marine Environment

by M. Saleem Khan, Tao Liang, Yuzhi Liu, Yunzhu Shi, Huanhuan Zhang, Hongyu Li, Shifeng Guo, Haobo Pan, Ke Yang and Ying Zhao

Metals 2022, 12(9), 1458; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12091458 - 30 Aug 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3023

Abstract

In marine environments, microbial attacks on metallic materials result in microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), which could cause severe safety accidents and high economic losses. To date, MIC of a number of metallic materials ranging from common steels to corrosion-resistant ferrous alloys has been reported. The MIC process has been explained based on (1) bio-catalyzed oxygen reduction; (2) kinetics alternation of the corrosion process by increasing the mass transport of the reactants and products; (3) production of corrosive substances; and (4) generation of auxiliary cathodic reactants. However, it is difficult to have a clear understanding of the MIC mechanism of ferrous alloys due to the interdisciplinary nature of MIC and lack of deep knowledge about the interfacial reaction between the biofilm and ferrous alloys. In order to better understand the effect of the MIC process on ferrous alloys, here we comprehensively summarized the process of biofilm formation and MIC mechanisms of ferrous alloys. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion and Protection of Lightweight Engineering Materials: Mg Alloys, Al Alloys, Ti Alloys and Other Related Metals)

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