Structure and water-barrier properties of vanadate-based corrosion inhibitor films

Uniform, crack-free vanadium-based corrosion inhibitor films were grown on aluminum alloy 2024. Neutron and X-ray reflectivity were utilized to investigate the structure, water-barrier properties and speciation of the inhibitor film. The top part of the alloy participates in the formation of vanadate film. The similarity of films prepared from H2O and D2O implies the vanadate film is not hydrated. The film has a layered structure with vanadium enriched at the alloy interface. The film behaves as an effective water barrier when the thickness is greater than 800 Å. Films grown without K3Fe[CN]6 accelerator are found to be extremely thin.