The Effects of UV on the Corrosion Behavior of Pure Aluminum 1060 in Simulated Nansha Marine Atmosphere

Abstract

The corrosion behavior of pure aluminum 1060 subjected to wet-dry cyclic accelerated test in simulated Nansha marine atmosphere in the dark and UV illumination were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Mott–Schottky measurements in this work. The results showed that the native oxide film is constantly destroyed during the corrosion test in both conditions. Besides, UV illumination can diminish the corrosion attack of the native oxide film to an extent in terms of a photo-induced modification of the native oxide film formed on the pure aluminum surface. In particular, UV illumination can also reduce the carrier concentration in the oxide film, thus reducing the conductivity and the corrosion rate.