Electroactive Polymer for Corrosion Inhibition of Aluminum Alloys

Abstract

Introduction Corrosion is a significant problem for lightweight high-strength aluminum alloys that contain significant amount of copper. For example the AL2024-T3 alloy contains about 4.6% of copper in aluminum. The corrosion rate is high due to the inherent galvanic coupling between the copper-rich micro-domain in the alloy and the aluminum matrix. Although the current technology of chromate based primer and chromate surface conversion is effective for corrosion inhibition of aluminum alloys, the toxic hexavalent chromate species is a health hazard and an environmental problem. DeBerry1 first reported the use of a conducting polymer in corrosion inhibition of stainless steel in acidic environment. Other researchers reported the observation of corrosion inhibtion of steel by polyaniline2, corrosion inhibition of aluminum by polyaniline3, the corrosion inhibition of aluminum by the chemical derivatives of poly(phenylene vinylene)4. A serious problem with the conventional polyaniline is its limited thermal and chemical stability. Dedoping by