The effect of adatoms on the corrosion rate of copper

Abstract On the premises that corrosion is a surface process and adatoms modify the electronic states of the surface, the influence of Zn, Sn, S, I, F, Ta, Sb, Ti, Bi and Cr adatoms on the corrosion rate of copper was investigated. Adatoms were adsorbed at open-circuit from a solution containing 1.0×10 −2 mol l −1 of the ions of the adatom element. The coverage of the adatoms at the surface was calculated by integration of the area under one of the peaks on the voltammogram of the copper electrode before and after dosing the electrode with the adatom. A significant difference in adsorbability of the adatoms at copper surface was observed. This difference was inter alia attributed to atomic size, crystallographic and kinetic effects. The surface properties were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, and for selected systems by SEM and electron microprobe. Corrosion of the surface in presence and in absence of the adatoms was followed by weight-loss method while surface oxidation, ‘surface corrosion’ was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and by electrochemical polarization techniques. The results showed that the nonmetals (F, S and I) markedly enhanced the rate of corrosion; Cr, Ta, Sb, Bi, Ti, Sn slightly enhanced the rate of corrosion of copper. Zinc, however, was the only element which decreased the rate of corrosion.