Abstract
The use of copper as an anti-fouling surface is discussed and an electrochemical method for improving its performance is proposed. Seawater exposure trials of freely corroding, cathodically protected and electrochemically controlled copper specimens are described. The results show that the anti-fouling performance of copper surfaces may be improved by electrochemical control of its dissolution rates. The ultimate failure of the copper to anti-foul is due to insufficient dissolution rates. This may be due to electrochemical constraints, to the formation of insoluble corrosion products or to the precipitation of cathodic chalks at its surface.
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Swain, G.W.J., Farrar, R.A. & Hutton, S.P. The use of controlled copper dissolution as an anti-fouling system. J Mater Sci 17, 1079–1094 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00543527
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00543527