Investigation of the Electrochemical Corrosion of Copper under a Micrometric Electrolyte Droplet Using a Three-Electrode System

Abstract

Owing to its high impedance, studying atmospheric corrosion using a traditional reference electrode (RE) is difficult. To obtain more accurate information on the electrochemical processes involved in atmospheric corrosion, it is necessary to improve the traditional RE. In this paper, the corrosion behavior of copper under an electrolyte droplet containing (NH4)2SO4 was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization measurements using a three-electrode system with a modified RE. The average corrosion rate increased with decreasing electrolyte volumes (from 1 to 20 μL) and with decreasing heights of the droplet at heights below 850 μm. The EIS and polarization results were in agreement, thereby demonstrating that the modified RE could be effectively used to study atmospheric corrosion under an electrolyte droplet.