Electrochemical corrosion behaviour of 90-10 Cu-Ni alloy in chloride-based electrolytes

The corrosion of 90-10 copper-nickel alloy in aqueous chloride electrolytes has received considerable attention in the literature due to its widespread use in seawater and saline environments. From an analysis of the electrochemical behaviour of the alloy, it is clear that both the polarization and mixed/corrosion potential characteristics show a close comparison to unalloyed copper. Important differences arise, however, due to the semi-conducting nature, composition and overall protectiveness of the corrosion products on the 90-10 copper-nickel alloy. In this work the metallurgy, electrochemistry and mechanism of passivation of the alloy are reviewed to provide a focused source of data regarding the electrochemical characteristics of the alloy in saline media.