Localized electrochemical characterization of organic coatings: A brief review

•Local electrochemical techniques as applied to organic coating research is briefly reviewed.•Techniques such as scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET), local electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (LEIS), scanning kelvin probe technique (SKP), scanning reference electrode technique (SRET), and scanning ion-selective electrode technique (SIET) are discussed.•Their basic operating strategies and their applications in studying organic coatings are presented.

Local electrochemical techniques such as scanning electrochemical microscopy, scanning vibrating electrode technique, local electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, scanning Kelvin probe technique, and scanning ion-selective electrode technique have gained significant attention in organic coating research. These techniques have enhanced our understanding of the fundamental processes of corrosion at defects and underneath coatings. Each of these techniques employ unique measurement strategy to provide important local information about coatings, their protective properties, defects, and failure mechanisms. In this brief review, the basic principles of these techniques and the nature of information that has been extracted from these techniques to study organic coatings are discussed.