Work

Long‐Term Marine Atmospheric Exposure of a Carbon Steel From the ‘Lighthouse at the End of the World’: Corrosion and Microstructural Characterization

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT This study presents the corrosion and microstructural characterization of a carbon steel component exposed to a marine atmosphere for over one hundred years. The sample was retrieved from the historical ‘Lighthouse at the End of the World’ located on Isla de los Estados, Argentina—a site subject to harsh oceanic conditions and continuous salt‐laden winds. A detailed analysis of corrosion products was carried out using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission Mössbauer spectroscopy (TMS), Raman spectroscopy (RS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS), revealing a multilayered structure of iron oxides and oxyhydroxides. Electrochemical measurements, including potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), were performed to assess the residual corrosion behaviour of the aged material. The results provide valuable insights into the long‐term degradation mechanisms of carbon steels in aggressive marine environments and stand for a rare case study of natural atmospheric corrosion over a century‐long timescale.

Source: Materials and Corrosion

DOI: 10.1002/maco.70071

Authors: S. B. Farina, S. Ferrari, C. P. Ramos, M. Reinoso, G. S. Duffó

Institutions: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, National University of General San Martín, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica

Language: English

Topic: Corrosion Behavior and Inhibition

Subfield: Materials Chemistry

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica