The Effect of Corrosion Conditions on Aging of Artificial Patina on Three Bronzes

The new bronze objects of art are almost always patinated before their exposure outdoors or indoors. Among the many patination methods used by practitioners, sulphide patination is one of the most common techniques. The aim of this work is to examine the corrosion behaviour of sulphide patinated bronzes under various aging conditions, including continuous immersion in simulated urban rain, alternating wet/dry cycles, and exposure to corrosion chamber with NO2 gas. The study was conducted on three types of bronzes with varying tin content. Corrosion characterisation of patinated bronze samples was performed by the means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and polarization measurements. Chemical composition and morphology of sulphide patinated bronze surface was examined by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Obtained results show that freshly patinated bronze surfaces exhibit low corrosion resistance that gradually improves over time. An increase in corrosion resistance strongly depends on aging conditions, and it appears to be the highest under continuous immersion conditions.