Corrosion of Aluminium Alloy in Seawater and Development of Green Corrosion Inhibitor for Marine Applications

Abstract

Aluminium and its alloys are widely used in marine applications. Recently many studies are being carried out to use natural resources as natural corrosion inhibitors. In the present study, the aluminium alloys were tested for their corrosion performance in seawater containing a natural product as a corrosion inhibitor at room temperature. The effect of honey on the corrosion of AA6064 was researched using the weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization, and SEM methods. Electrochemical measurements and metallurgical characteristics have been made to quantify the potential of honey to be used to retard metal corrosion. Surface morphology of aluminium coupon after exposure was examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). A good inhibition efficiency is observed which increases with an increase in inhibitor efficiency. Polarization plots indicate that honey acts as a natural corrosion inhibitor, preventing the alloys from suffering severe pitting attacks. The weight loss results show low corrosion rates for the alloy in higher honey content.