The effect of self-organizing vinyl siloxane nanolayers on the corrosion behavior of aluminum in neutral chloride-containing solutions

The methods of quartz crystal microbalance, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy, and X-ray structural microanalysis were is used to show that adsorption of vinyl silane on an aluminum surface from an aqueous solution results in formation of a uniform, self-organizing protective vinyl siloxane nanolayer covalently bound with surface metal groups. Its thickness can be controlled by variation of application conditions. The effect of a vinyl siloxane nanolayer on dissolution of aluminum is studied in chloride-containing solutions. It is found that an ordered vinyl siloxane nanolayer with a thickness of up to 5 molecular layers causes efficient inhibition of uniform and local corrosion of aluminum. It is shown that the vinyl siloxane nanolayer is preserved on the surface of aluminum after 10 days of corrosion tests, which indicates its stability at exposure to water and corrosive components.