Copper and Aluminium Electrochemical Corrosion Investigation during Electrolysis and Heating from 20oC to 180oC

Abstract

Our investigations show that electrochemical corrosion of copper is faster than electrochemical corrosion of aluminium at temperatures below 180°C and electric current density 3,000 A/m2 (or 30 A/dm2=3 mA/mm2). We have obtained that aluminium anodes (cylindrical or spherical) dissolve into concentrated NaCl solution during electrolysis more rapidly with temperature increasing while copper anodes (cylindrical or spherical) dissolve more slowly with temperature increasing from room temperature to temperature 180°C. Electric current value also increases with temperature increasing. Really, such result is unexpected. General quantity of the H+ and Cl- ions decreases during electrolysis at all temperatures since the H2 and Cl2 gases are formed near electrodes. It decreases electric current value on 1.3%. General quantity of the Cu+ and Cu2+ ions decreases with temperature increasing too. We guess that one reason only should be for electric current value increasing: average charge of copper ions increases from +1 at room temperature to +1.5 at 100°C and to +2 at 180°C while charge of aluminium ions remains the same +3. Corresponding mathematical model is proposed for the analysis, and literature experimental data are used too.

Keywords

• electrochemical corrosion
• electrolysis
• electrocoagulation
• copper
• aluminium
• mathematical modelling
• metallic coating