Corrosion Inhibition in CO₂-Saturated Brine by Nd³⁺ Ions

This study reports the use of an inorganic corrosion inhibitor to mitigate dissolved CO2-induced corrosion. Using electrochemical techniques (polarization curves, open circuit potential, polarization resistance, and electrochemical impedance), the effect of adding Nd3+ ions on the corrosion resistance of X52 steel immersed in CO2-saturated brine at 20 °C and 60 °C was evaluated. The polarization curves showed that the Icorr values tend to decrease with increasing Nd3+ ion concentration, up to the optimal inhibition concentration, and that the corrosion potential increases at nobler values. Open circuit potential measurements showed a large increase in potential values immediately after the addition of the Nd3+ ions. Similarly, polarization resistance measurements showed similar trends. It was observed that regardless of temperature, Nd3+ ions can reduce the corrosion rate by more than 97% at doses as low as 0.001 M. Electrochemical impedance measurements confirmed the formation of a protective layer on the steel surface, which caused an increase in the magnitude of the impedance module and phase angle, which indicates an increase in the resistance to charge transfer and capacitive properties of the metallic surface. The characterization of the metallic surface showed that the protective layer was formed by Nd carbonates, whose formation was due to a CO2 capture process

The Synthesis of Aluminum Matrix Composites Reinforced with Fe-Al Intermetallic Compounds by Ball Milling and Consolidation

In this study, a nano-composite material of a nanostructured Al-based matrix reinforced with Fe40Al intermetallic particles was produced by ball milling. During the non-equilibria processing, the powder mixtures with the compositions of Al-XFe40Al (X = 5, 10, and 15 vol. %) were mechanically milled under a low energy regime. The processed Al-XFe40Al powder mixtures were subjected to uniaxial pressing at room temperature. Afterward, the specimens were subjected to a sintering process under an inert atmosphere. In this thermal treatment, the specimens were annealed at 500 °C for 2 h. The sintering process was performed under an argon atmosphere. The crystallite size of the Al decreased as the milling time advanced. This behavior was observed in the three specimens. During the ball milling stage, the powder mixtures composed of Al-XFe40Al did not experience a mechanochemical reaction that could lead to the generation of secondary phases. The crystallite size of the Al displayed a predominant tendency to decrease during the ball milling process. The microstructure of the consolidated specimens indicated a uniform dispersion of the intermetallic reinforcement phases in the Al matrix. Moreover, according to the Vickers microhardness tests, the hardness varied linearly with the increase in the concentration of the Fe40Al intermetallic phase present in the composite material. The presented graphs indicate that the hardness increased almost linearly with the increasing dislocation density and with the reduction in grain sizes (both occurring during the non-equilibria processing). The microstructural and mechanical properties reported in this paper provide the aluminum matrix composite materials with the ideal conditions to be considered candidates for applications in the automotive and aeronautical industries

Corrosion Behavior of Al Modified with Zn in Chloride Solution

Aluminum-based alloys have been considered candidate materials for cathodic protection anodes. However, the Al-based alloys can form a layer of alumina, which is a drawback in a sacrificial anode. The anodes must exhibit uniform corrosion to achieve better performance. Aluminum can be alloyed with Zn to improve their performance. In this sense, in the present research, the electrochemical corrosion performance of Al-xZn alloys (x = 1.5, 3.5, and 5 at.% Zn) exposed to 3.5 wt.% NaCl for 24 h was evaluated. Polarization curves, linear polarization resistance (LPR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to identify the electrochemical behavior. The microstructure of the samples before the corrosion assessment was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction analyses (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, microstructures of the corroded surfaces were characterized using X-ray mappings via SEM. Polarization curves indicated that Zn additions changed the pseudo-passivation behavior from what pure Al exhibited in a uniform dissolution regime. Furthermore, the addition of Zn shifted the corrosion potential to the active side and increased the corrosion rate. This behavior was consistent with the proportional decrease in polarization resistance (Rp) and charge transfer resistance (Rct) in the EIS. The analysis of EIS was done using a mathematical model related to an adsorption electrochemical mechanism. The adsorption of chloride at the Al-Zn alloy surface formed aluminum chloride intermediates, which controlled the rate of the process. The rate constants of the reactions of a proposed chemical mechanism were evaluated