EAGER: Corrosion Protection of Metals Using Nanoporous Oxide Thin-Films: An Environmentally Friendly Game-Changing Technology

这个急切的项目将建立基础知识，以证明某些多孔涂层能够阻止腐蚀的反直觉概念。这项研究将基于涂层和非涂层金属在腐蚀性环境中的电化学和表面表征。威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校的环境化学与技术(EC&amp；T)项目团队将致力于建立用于制造涂层的氧化物类型、所产生的多孔膜的物理性质以及所需的防腐性能之间的联系。传统的防腐方法侧重于用厚厚的一层完全覆盖表面，以避免电解液的渗透。该项目有可能阐明纳米孔在扩散和反应中的作用，从而加深对纳米孔洞在防止腐蚀方面的作用的理解。该项目的更广泛的影响是，它可能为该领域的新研究打开机会。腐蚀是一种世界性的资源消耗，约占工业化国家经济产出的3%-4%。该项目的性质从技术和环境角度传达了广泛的影响。这些涂层是由溶胶-凝胶化学物质制成的，这种化学物质是水基的，不需要有机溶剂。由于最终产品是金属氧化物，从食品安全的角度来看，涂层实际上是惰性的，此外，与在各种其他环境中应用有机防腐涂层相比，具有更低的VOC排放。因此，这些涂层可能成为涂装罐头和其他食品相关产品的环保替代品，也可能为多种其他环境中的腐蚀问题提供解决方案。

This EAGER project will establish basic knowledge to demonstrate the counter-intuitive notion that certain porous coatings are capable of deterring corrosion. This study will be based on electrochemistry and surface characterization of coated and uncoated metals subject to corrosive environments. The Environmental Chemistry & Technology (EC&T) program team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will work to establish the links between the type of oxide used in making the coatings, the physical properties of the resulting porous film, and the required corrosion deterring properties. The traditional approach to anti-corrosion focuses on fully covering the surface with a thick layer to avoid the penetration of an electrolyte. This project has the potential to elucidate the role of nanopores on diffusion and reaction and thus to develop understanding of the role of nano-porosity in preventing corrosion.The broader impacts of the project are that it may open up opportunities for new research in the field. Corrosion is a worldwide drain on resources, costing about 3-4% of the economic output of industrialized countries. The nature of this project conveys broad impacts from technological and environmental points of view. These coatings are made from sol-gel chemistries, which are water-based and do not require organic solvents. Since the final products are metal oxides, the coatings are practically inert from a food safety point of view, in addition to having lower VOC emissions than those derived from the application of organic anti-corrosion coatings in a variety of other contexts. Therefore, these coatings may become an environmentally friendly alternative for coating cans and other food-related products and also may have the potential to provide solutions to corrosion problems in a multiplicity of other settings.