Nano-FTIR microscopy and spectroscopy studies of atmospheric corrosion with a spatial resolution of 20 nm

C. M. Johnson, M. Böhmler

Corrosion Science 108, pp. 60–65 (2016)
Since corrosion commonly occurs heterogeneously over a surface, studies on a microscopic level are desired to obtain a complete picture of the process. Here, we demonstrate the capability of nano-FTIR microscopy to spectroscopically determine the nature of different corrosion products and their spatial distribution with a resolution of 20 nm, two-three orders of magnitude better than conventional IR microscopy. A copper surface was exposed to a humid atmosphere containing formic acid, and in addition to cuprite the corrosion product copper formate was observed to form inhomogeneously in particles of some tens to a few hundreds of nm.