Atmospheric Corrosion of Copper Exposed in a Simulated Coastal-Industrial Atmosphere

The corrosion behavior of copper exposed in a simulated coastal-industrial atmosphere has been investigated using weight loss measurement, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, potentiodynamic polarization and in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with micro-distance electrodes. The results show that corrosion kinetics follows the empirical equation D = Atn. The main corrosion products are composed of Cu2O, Cu2Cl(OH)3 and Cu4Cl2(OH)6. A two-layer structure comprising a loose outer layer and a compact inner layer forms the corrosion products during corrosion process. SO2 has been found to promote the formation of Cu4Cl2(OH)6.