Corrosion and Protection of Metallic Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Corrosion is the process of degradation or failure of metallic materials in contact with the surrounding environment. Nowadays, the corrosion of metallic materials remains a technological and major economical challenge because the service lifetime of materials containing metallic components is often limited by the stability or durability of their metallic parts. The environmentally assisted degradation of metals and alloys in civil engineering structures has a detrimental effect on their mechanical and physical properties, which may lead to the collapse of infrastructure, such as the Morandi bridge in Genoa on 14 August 2018, which caused the death of 43 people; the corrosion of stainless steel tanks such as the Bhopal gas disaster in India 1984; or environmental consequences such as the Prestige Oil Spill in Galicia on 2002. The economic impact of metallic corrosion and protection is generally estimated to be about 4.9% of gross domestic product in developed countries. One estimate is that 40% of this cost would have been easily saved with a better understanding of the basic know-how concepts of protection and materials selection. On the other hand, ecological aspects are becoming more and more important, e.g., environmental protocols seeking to reduce fuel consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases. For example, between all the metallic materials used for structural applications, magnesium (Mg) alloys have the lowest density; however, their low resistance to corrosion and wear remains one of the main limitations in the use of Mg alloys for transportation applications.

This Topic aims to publish original research papers and critical reviews in the latest developments in the fields of both surface science and engineering in the areas of corrosion and degradation phenomena and the most suitable procedures to protect the metallic materials. The published papers may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Electrochemical corrosion mechanisms;
• High temperature oxidation;
• Passivity and localized corrosion;
• Anodic oxidation;
• Tribocorrosion;
• Atmospheric and marine corrosion;
• Stress corrosion cracking;
• Corrosion of steel in concrete;
• Mechanisms and methods of corrosion control;
• Surface and coating technology for corrosion protection;
• Smart corrosion protection strategies;
• Corrosion Inhibitors;
• Cathodic protection.

Dr. Sebastian Feliú, Jr.
Dr. Federico R. García-Galván
Topic Editors