Research at Swansea University in the UK could bring better protection against rust and corrosion.

In laboratory tests, the material and manufacturing process work better than the widely used hexavalent chromate.

Rusted pipes.  Credit: PixabayRusted pipes. Credit: PixabayThe approach may be a boon for the high-quality steel industry. The industry needs a replacement hexavalent chromate, which the EU has banned effective in 2019.

The research team was led by Professor Geraint Williams. The method was discovered by doctoral student Patrick Dodds and uses a stored reservoir of “smart release” corrosion inhibitor. The inhibitor channels electrolyte anions into the coating when needed.

The team’s purpose-built scanning Kelvin probe reportedly reduced the time required to test individual candidate compounds from 500 to 24 hours. The probe detects the state of the metal without touching it. Samples were exposed to salt spray, the industry standard test.

Testing demonstrated that the Dodds method prevents the onset of corrosion for 24 hours, compared to two hours for hexavalent chromate. It also slowed the rate of corrosion once corrosion has set in.

A product based on this method could potentially earn a large share of the market coated-steel market, the researchers say. Williams says the product is environmentally sound, economical and outperforms the market leader in laboratory tests. He says that initial discussions with steel industry representatives have been “extremely positive.”

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