Studies on the Sub-Coating Enviroment of Coated Iron Using Qualitative Ellipsometric and Electrochemical Techniques

Transparent organic coatings on iron are used to simulate painted metal surfaces for simultaneous ellipsometric and electrochemical measurements. These studies show that significant changes occur both in the metal oxide film and in the sub-coating environment during prolonged immersion in dilute C1^- media. The relationship of these changes to phenomena such as metal passivation, coating delamination, and inhibitor behavior are addressed.