Effect of Cu(II) on the formation, morphology and molecular adsorption properties of α-FeOOH rust particles prepared from acidic Fe(III) solutions

Abstract To simulate the atmospheric corrosion of weathering steels, α-FeOOH rust particles were synthesized from acidic Fe(NO 3 ) 3 solutions in the presence of Cu(II) at 50 °C. No remarkable change of crystallinity of α-FeOOH was observed by adding Cu(II). Increasing the added Cu(II) formed the nano-sized ferrihydrite particles and reduced the size of α-FeOOH particles, leading to the increase of specific surface area. The Cu(II) added in the starting solution was less easily incorporated in the particles than Fe(III). The adsorption of corrosive gasses such as H 2 O, CO 2 and SO 2 on the rust particles was inhibited by the addition of Cu(II).