The role of chelating agents on the corrosion mechanisms of aluminium in alkaline aqueous solutions

The influence of 1,2-diaminoethane (DAE) on the mechanism of aluminium corrosion in KOH solutions at pH 13 was investigated by combining time-resolved inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrocopy, open-circuit potential measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In pure KOH solutions, a very slow corrosion rate is initially observed, corresponding to the dissolution of the native oxide layer. Following this incubation stage, the corrosion rate is increasing due to the formation and oxidation of Al hydride, until a steady state is reached. DAE behaves as a strong initial corrosion accelerator, due to synergistic effects with hydroxyl ions and a dissolution mechanism in three successive steps has been proposed: (i) a rapid initial dissolution induced by the formation and detachment from the surface of bidentate (chelate) Al–DAE metal bound surface complexes; (ii) a slower step ascribed to the formation and release of monodentate Al–DAE metal bound surface complexes and (iii) a final step dominated by direct oxidation of surface aluminium hydride by hydroxyl species as in pure KOH.