Applications of capillary electrophoresis in corrosion science and engineering

Four applications of capillary electrophoresis of inorganic ions to the study of corrosion processes are presented. Analyses were conducted of solutions formed on high surface area carbon papers during exposure to corrosive gases, solutions extracted from corroding regions under organic coatings on an aluminum alloy, leachate from chromate conversion coatings on an aluminum alloy, and solutions reconstituted from corrosion products removed from aging aircraft. The flexibility, sensitivity, and robustness of the CE techniques were critical in the analyses required, as was the development of solution extraction methods that were able to retain the important characteristics of the solutions of interest. Analyses for a range of inorganic anions as well as metal cations, including Al3+, Mg2+ and Cu2+, are presented. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.