PAINT ADHESION, CORROSION PROTECTION, AND INTERFACIAL CHEMISTRY

Maintenance of adhesion under environmental exposure is a key performance parameter used to evaluate the protective capability of corrosion-protective paint systems. Interfacial chemical reactions involved in the establishment of paint adhesion, in the suppression of corrosion processes, and in the degradation and loss of paint adhesion have been extensively studied using modern surface analytical techniques. This paper reviews some of the phenomenological and mechanistic conclusions obtained from surface analytical studies. The chemistry of the interface, and the composition of the paint resin, play especially important roles in the initial stages of corrosion-induced paint adhesion loss. Physical degradation processes and their interaction with interfacial chemical processes need to be considered in evaluating the long-term durability of corrosion protective paint systems. Research needs related to paint adhesion, interfacial chemistry, and mechanisms of adhesion loss are discussed.