Early stages of the oxidation and corrosion of copper and copper alloys using nanometer scale techniques

Etude des premières étapes d'oxydation et de corrosion du cuivre et de ses alliages par des techniques à échelle nanométrique

Abstract

This review describes recent results on the initial reaction of copper and copper alloys with gaseous and aqueous reactants by atom probe field ion microscopy (AP-FIM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The new STM dramatically improves the opportunity for in-situ studies with nanometer or better resolution, and it can be used not only in vacuum but also in gases and liquids. In gas-phase reactions, the AP-FIM results show that in some cases of controlled alloying and heat treatment, oxidation of the copper can be suppressed so that the initial monolayers of oxide are entirely of the solute element. Both atomically sharp and diffuse alloy/oxide interfaces are formed. STM shows in some cases the simple (e.g., Cl) and other cases, complex (e.g., S) chemisorption and atomic structure on copper. In aqueous solution, in-situ STM reveals details of the etching and inhibition of Cu.