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 Cu;O, Cu;Cl（OH）;and Cu;Cl;（OH）;. A two-layer structure comprising a loose outer layer and a compact inner layer forms the corrosion products during corrosion process. SO;has been found to promote the formation of Cu;Cl;（OH）;.