Defect dimension evaluation in organic coated galvanized steel by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Abstract

The protective effectiveness of organic coatings, in controlling corrosion processes by the barrier effect, is dominated by the absence of defects passing through the coating and reaching the substrate. It is, however, difficult in general to identify and quantify the presence of defects. This work is an effort to reach a more precise quantification of the size of defect in organic coatings by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. Artificial defects with controlled dimensions between 60 and 200 μm were produced on organic coated galvanized steel (coil coating). After optimization of the experimental procedure for EIS data acquisition, the parameters obtained, according to a classical electrical model, were correlated with the defect dimensions. The results show that the double layer capacitance (C _dl) values depend in linearly on the defects area, while this is not true for the pore resistance (R _p) values, as the electrolyte resistivity inside the defects is a function of the defect size. Further work is necessary to extend the results to smaller defects and different systems, that is, different organic coatings and substrates.