SBIR Phase I: An Electrochemical Array-Based Nondestructive Evaluation System

该小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目涉及开发基于电化学的阵列无损检测和评估(NDE)系统，用于在微尺度水平检测腐蚀。在运输、微电子、电力生产和危险废物容器中使用的一些工程金属和合金在腐蚀过程中会形成破坏性的小缺陷。这些材料的稳定性取决于在连续暴露于环境中时形成并保持高完整性的钝化氧化膜的程度。这些氧化膜的击穿造成的局部腐蚀是限制由这些材料制成的部件的寿命的原因。在工程金属和合金中避免缺陷形成的关键是检测腐蚀的早期阶段。拟议的技术将在微尺度上提供关于腐蚀过程的空间分辨信息以及关于腐蚀率的信息。实验室规模的电化学阵列腐蚀传感器的制造和测试将在一期工程中进行。这项技术在航空航天(国防和商业)、海洋和汽车工业、电力公司、化工加工厂、炼油厂、微电子、电力生产和危险废物遏制等各个行业都有巨大的商业应用潜力。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project concerns the development of an electrochemical-based array nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDE) system for the detection of corrosion at the microscale level. Formation of small flaws of a destructive nature results during corrosion of a number of engineering metals and alloys used in transportation, microelectronics, electrical power production, and hazardous waste containment. The stability of these materials is determined by the extent to which a high integrity passive oxide film forms and is retained during continuous exposure to the ambient environment. Localized corrosion due to breakdown in these oxide films is responsible for limiting the lifetime of components made from these materials. The key to avoid flaw formation in engineering metals and alloys is the detection of early stages of corrosion. The proposed technology will provide spatially resolved information on the corrosion process at the microscale level as well as information on corrosion rates. The fabrication and test of a lab-scale electrochemical array-based corrosion sensor will be carried out during the Phase I project.There are large potential commercial applications for this technology in various industries, such as aerospace (defense and commercial), marine and automotive industries, electric utility plants, chemical processing plants, refineries, microelectronics, electrical power production, and hazardous waste containment.