Sujet de stage / Master 2 Internship

Optimization by electrochemical and physicochemical study of innovative corrosion inhibitors applied in atmospheric conditions on copper alloys

The objective of this internship is to evaluate the performance of innovative inhibitors through electrochemical and physicochemical characterization, which leads to a better understanding of the protection mechanisms of corroded heritage metals.

The study will be based on two types of samples :
- artificially aged Cu coupons (chemical bath aging) to simulate an atmospheric layer
- corroded copper roofing coupons (~100 years old)
The treatments addressed are :
- carboxylate-based solutions
- sol-gel solutions doped with carboxylates
- wax and BTA in order to compare with treatments already applied in the field

The thickness of the layers makes the analysis conditions complex, so it is important to optimize the working parameters for the targeted methods by electrochemical means:
- polarization curves to determine the passivation and reduction conditions of the oxidized compounds present
- impedance spectroscopy for the electrochemical behavior in system dynamics

The surface and cross-sections of the samples will then be characterized in order to understand the interactions between layers and treatments (micro scale: µ-raman, SEM-EDS).

The objective is to refine the understanding of the protection mechanisms initially in the laboratory, to eventually adapt it to a field use (in-situ cell) in a future project.