Electrochemical Study of the Protective Capacity of Artificial Patina of CuS0₄ Exposed in an Urban-Marine Atmosphere

Abstract

The damage caused by atmospheric pollutants, chlorides, and sulfates, is evident in historical metallic monuments. Therefore, it is vitally important to analyze these interactions to ensure adequate conservation. The electrochemical behavior was studied using Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) of quaternary bronze with an artificially formed patina with CuSO4 representing a historical metal exposed in the atmosphere and thus obtaining information about its degradation process during a determined time. The results show that charge and mass transfer processes were carried out by varying the resistances of the patinas during the weeks that they were exposed, reaching to observe a diffusive and metastable process due to the formation of corrosion products that lead to an increase in the resistance of charge transfer.

A new scheme of the environmental classification standards for the bronze cultural relic’s preservation in museums

“…The temperature of the environment affects the chemical reaction rate of the metal surface and the solubility of the soluble pollutants, the humidity affects the formation, the condensation thickness, and the existence time of the liquid film on the metal material surface. The corrosion of the bronze cultural relics is mostly affected by the temperature and humidity [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. In general, the effect of the temperature on the metal atmospheric corrosion is small and difficult to predict.…”