Effective electrode preparation to prevent crevice in steel electrodes

Abstract

Abstract Crevice corrosion is hard to avoid when the corrosion resistance of steel electrodes needs to be evaluated, particularly when chloride ions are present in the electrolyte. This problem is recurrent when studying the performance of construction steel in concrete pore simulating solutions that aim to replicate a marine exposure. Other steel applications in aggressive environments face the same problem. This study describes a simple pre-treatment implemented on the steel bars before the electrodes were constructed, which successfully helps to minimize the risk of electrodes showing crevice after an electrochemical evaluation in the anodic potential range. The effectiveness of this acidic pre-treatment can be evaluated electrochemically in alkaline solutions. Polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and voltammograms on electrodes with and without the pre-treatment demonstrate the advantages of implementing the pre-treatment.