Film Saboteurs

Definition

Film saboteurs are conditions or species that destabilize passive films and so determine where corrosion concentrates and how fast it becomes destructive. They are not the primary cause of corrosion but the trigger for localization.

By disrupting passive films they expose reactive metal and allow dissolved metal complexes to be carried into the bulk water and lost for good, turning uniform corrosion into pitting. Even a small number of saboteurs can dominate corrosion behavior in an otherwise stable system. The four highlighted are mechanical disruption, acids, chloride, and sulfate.

Related concepts

Mechanical Disruption (Erosion Corrosion) · Chloride Attack · Pitting Corrosion

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🧪 chemistry