Solid-state electrochemical probing of atmospheric and galvanic corrosion

A new corrosion probe, based on a solid-state electrochemical cell and a membrane serving as a solid polymer electrolyte, is introduced. Corrosion rates and potentials obtained for a number of metal specimens, after being exposed to various atmospheric conditions, were measured using the probe and were compared to those obtained gravimetrically and to electrochemical measurements in aqueous solutions. The results show that the electrochemical probe is capable of detecting different surface reactivity behavior arising from different environmental conditions. Moreover, the same solid-state electrochemical cell can be used for a different configuration in which two different metals are short-circuited and separated by the membrane electrolyte as a measure of atmospheric galvanic corrosion. (Example materials: Al, Cu, SS304 and SS316.)