High-throughput corrosion quantification in varied microenvironments

Harsh conditions ranging from those of biomedical implants to industrial oilfield applications prompt rapid assessment of whether and to what extent corrosion will occur. Here, we describe and demonstrate a novel high-throughput approach to quantify corrosion susceptibility based upon electrical resistance and colorimetric outputs. We illustrate this capability by quantifying aerobic corrosion rates of steel alloys within hours, and by comparing anaerobic microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) conditions over several days. Such methods can be extended to rapidly assess conditions that will accelerate corrosion, to compare corrosion mitigation scenarios, and to explore biofilm formation and MIC mechanisms through robust replicate conditions.