• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.213-217
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• 2015

Recently, household electronic industries require environmentally-friendly and highly functional steels in order to enhance the quality of human life. Customers especially require both excellent corrosion and abrasion resistant anti-fingerprint steels for digital TV panels. Thus POSCO has developed new functional electro-galvanized steels, which have double coated layers with organic-inorganic composites on the zinc surface of the steel for usage as the bottom chassis panel of TVs. The inorganic solution for the bottom layer consists of inorganic phosphate, magnesium, and zirconium compounds with a small amount of epoxy binder, and affords both improved adhesion properties by chemical conversion reactions and corrosion resistance due to a self-healing effect. The composite solution for the top layer was prepared by fine dispersion of organic-inorganic ingredients that consist of a urethane modified polyacrylate polymer, hardener, silica sol and a titanium complex inhibitor in aqueous media. Both composite solutions were coated on the steel surface by using a roll coater and then cured through an induction furnace in the electro-galvanizing line. New anti-fingerprint steel was evaluated for quality performance through such procedures as the salt spray test for corrosion resistance, tribological test for abrasion resistance, and conductivity test for surface electric conductance regarding to both types of polymer resin and coating weight of composite solution. New composite coated anti-fingerprint steels afford both better corrosion resistance and abrasion properties compared to conventional anti-fingerprint steel that mainly consists of acrylate polymers. Detailed discussions of both composite solutions and experimental results suggest that urethane modifications of acrylate polymers of composite solutions play a key role in enhanced quality performances.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.74-80
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• 2018

The electronic industries require environmentally-friendly and highly functional materials to enhance the quality of human life. Home appliances require insect repellent steels that work to protect household microwave ovens from incurring damage by insects such as fire ants and cockroaches in tropical regions. Thus, POSCO has developed new types of functional steels, coated with an array of organic-inorganic hybrid composites on the steel surface, to cover panels in microwave ovens and refrigerators. The composite solution uses a fine dispersion of hybrid solution with polymeric resin, inorganic and a pyrethroid additive in aqueous media. The hybrid composite solution coats the steel surface, by using a roll coater and is cured using an induction curing furnace on both the continuous galvanizing line and the electro-galvanizing line. The new steels were evaluated for quality performances, salt spray test for corrosion resistance and biological performance for both insect repellent and antimicrobial activity. The new steels with organic-inorganic composite coating exhibit extraordinarily biological functionalities, for both insect repellent and antimicrobial activities for short and long term tests. The composite-coating solution and experimental results are discussed and suggest that the molecular level dispersion of insecticide on the coating layer is key to biological functional performances.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제22권5호
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• pp.341-350
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• 2023

In the present study, effects of a thin Zn-flash coating on hydrogen evolution, infusion, and embrittlement of advanced high strength steel during electro-galvanizing were examined. The electrochemical permeation technique in conjunction with impedance spectroscopy was employed under applied cathodic polarization. Moreover, a slow-strain rate test was conducted to evaluate loss of elongation (i.e., indicative of hydrogen embrittlement (HE)) and examine fracture surfaces. Results showed that the presence of a thin Zn-flash coating, even when it was not distributed uniformly, reduced hydrogen evolution rate and substantially impeded infusion of hydrogen into the steel substrate. This was primarily due to a hydrogen overvoltage on Zn coating and trapping of hydrogen at the interface of Zn coating/flash coating/steel substrate. Consequently, the sample with flash coating had a smaller HE index than the sample without flash coating. These results suggest that a thin Zn-flash coating could be an effective technical strategy for mitigating HE in advanced high-strength steels.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.302-309
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to elucidate effects of a thin (tens to hundreds of nanometers) Ni-flash coating layer on hydrogen embrittlement (HE) and liquid metal embrittlement (LME) in ultra-high-strength electrogalvanized steel with a tensile strength of more than 1 GPa. Various experimental and analytical methods, including thermal desorption spectroscopy, slow strain rate testing, resistance spot welding, X-ray diffraction, and metallographic observation, were employed. Results showed that an increase in Ni target amount for flash coating resulted in a decrease in diffusible hydrogen content during electrogalvanizing, resulting in a significant decrease in HE sensitivity. Moreover, a Ni target amount of more than 1000 mg/m² drastically reduced the occurring frequency and average depth of LME. This reduction could be primarily attributed to formation of Zn-Ni intermetallic phases during the welding process that could inhibit liquefaction of intermetallic phases in the heat-affected zone. This study provides a desirable Ni target amount for Ni-flash coating on ultra-high-strength steels conducted in a continuous galvanizing line or a high-speed batch line to achieve high resistance to both HE and LME.