Deteriorative Property of

Materials
 Learning Objectives
• To be able to explain how the familiar rust
tends to occur
 Corrosion in Metals
• Corrosion
– Material loss in metals due to dissolution
• Oxidation
– Formation of nonmetallic film or scale in metals
• Degradation
• Used for polymers . Polymers may dissolve
when exposed to a liquid solvent, or they may
absorb the solvent and swell. Electromagnetic
radiation and heat can cause deteriorations
 Corrosion
• destructive and unintentional attack of a
metal;
• it is electrochemical and ordinarily begins at
the surface
 Electrochemical Reactions
• Oxidation
– lose of electrons in metal atoms

 
M  Mn  ne
– Examples are
2 
Fe  Fe  2e
3 
Al  Al  3e
• Anode
– Site where oxidation takes place
– Oxidation is also called anodic reaction

• Reduction
– Reaction in which the electrons from the oxidized
region is transferred and become part of another
chemical species
• Example of reduction is the formation of
hydrogen gas from hydrogen ions
 
2H  2e  H 2

• Cathode
– Site of reduction
 Example of Oxidation-Reduction
Corrosion of Zinc in Acid
Solution
In reduction and oxidation,
the 2 terms are each called
half reactions. No net
electrical charge can be
accumulated inside the
material. That is the total
rate of oxidation is equal to
the total rate of reaction a Zn  Zn  2e
2 

b2H  2e  H 2
and all electrons generated
by oxidation must be  
consumed by reduction
 Rusting of Iron in Water
• The first stage (1) is oxidation of Fe to Fe2+ (as
Fe(OH)2)
• The second stage (2) is transformation of Fe2+
to Fe3+ as Fe(OH)3 which is rust

1Fe  O 2  H 2O  Fe2  2OH   FeOH 2

1
2
22 FeOH 2  O 2  H 2O  2 FeOH 3
1
2
 Consequence of oxidation
• The 2 most common consequence of
oxidation-reduction is the formation of ions
(such as Zn ions) and will go to the corroding
solution or
• The formation of insoluble compound (such as
rust)