Corrosion is a ubiquitous and costly problem for a variety of industries. Understanding and reducing the cost of corrosion remain primary interests for corrosion professionals and relevant asset owners. The present study summarises the findings that arose from the landmark “Study of Corrosion Status and Control Strategies in China”, a key consulting project of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2015, which sought to determine the national cost of corrosion and costs associated with representative industries in China. The study estimated that the cost of corrosion in China was approximately 2127.8 billion RMB (~ 310 billion USD), representing about 3.34% of the gross domestic product. The transportation and electronics industries were the two that generated the highest costs among all those surveyed. Based on the survey results, corrosion is a major and significant issue, with several key general strategies to reduce the cost of corrosion also outlined.

A facile one-step electrodeposition method was used to fabricate a hierarchical papillae-covered SHPS on an Al substrate with enhanced corrosion resistance (corrosion inhibition efficiency ~99.96%) and lotus-like self-cleaning effect.

Microbial cells secrete extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) to adhere to material surfaces, if they get in contact with solid materials such as metals. After phase equilibrium, microorganisms can adhere firmly to the metal surfaces causing metal dissolution and corrosion. Attachment and adhesion of microorganisms via EPS increase the possibility and the rate of metal corrosion. Many components of EPS are electrochemical and redox active, making them closely related to metal corrosion. Functional groups in EPS have specific adsorption ability, causing them to play a key role in biocorrosion. This review emphasizes EPS properties related to metal corrosion and protection and the underlying microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) mechanisms. Future perspectives regarding a comprehensive study of MIC mechanisms and green methodologies for corrosion protection are provided.

A microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) causes huge economic losses and serious environmental damage every year. The prevention and control measures for MIC mainly include physical, chemical, and biological methods. Among them, biocide application is the most cost-effective method. Although various biocides have their own advantages in preventing and treating MIC, most biocides have the problem of polluting the environment and increasing microorganism resistance. Therefore, it has stimulated the exploration of continuously developing new environmentally friendly and efficient biocides. In this review, the application advantages and research progress of various biocides used to prevent and control MIC are discussed. Also, this review provides a resource for the research and rational use of biocides regarding MIC mitigation and prevention.

Surface roughness and low surface energy are key elements for the artificial preparation of biomimetic superhydrophobic materials. However, the presence of micro-/nanostructures and the corresponding increase in roughness can increase light scattering, thereby reducing the surface transparency. Therefore, designing and constructing superhydrophobic surfaces that combine superhydrophobicity with high transparency has been a continuous research focus for researchers and engineers. In this study, a transparent superhydrophobic coating was constructed on glass substrates using hydrophobic fumed silica (HF-SiO₂) and waterborne polyurethane (WPU) as raw materials, combined with a simple spray-coating technique, resulting in a water contact angle (WCA) of 158.7 ± 1.5° and a sliding angle (SA) of 6.2 ± 1.8°. Characterization tests including SEM, EDS, LSCM, FTIR, and XPS revealed the presence of micron-scale protrusions and a nano-scale porous network composite structure on the surface. The presence of HF-SiO₂ not only provided a certain roughness but also effectively reduced surface energy. More importantly, the coating exhibited excellent water-repellent properties, extremely low interfacial adhesion, self-cleaning ability, and high transparency, with the light transmittance of the coated glass substrate reaching 96.1% of that of the bare glass substrate. The series of functional characteristics demonstrated by the transparent superhydrophobic HF-SiO₂@WPU coating designed and constructed in this study will play an important role in various applications such as underwater observation windows, building glass facades, automotive glass, and goggles.

Electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is an attractive and alternative route for the on‐site production of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The electrochemical synthesis of H₂O₂ in neutral electrolyte is in early studying stage and promising in ocean‐energy application. Herein, N‐doped carbon materials (N‐C_x) with different N types are prepared through the pyrolysis of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks. The N‐C_x catalysts, especially N‐C₈₀₀, exhibit an attracting 2e⁻ ORR catalytic activity, corresponding to a high H₂O₂ selectivity (≈95%) and preferable stability in 0.5 m NaCl solution. Additionally, the N‐C₈₀₀ possesses an attractive H₂O₂ production amount up to 631.2 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ and high Faraday efficiency (79.8%) in H‐type cell. The remarkable 2e⁻ ORR electrocatalytic performance of N‐C_x catalysts is associated with the N species and N content in the materials. Density functional theory calculations suggest carbon atoms adjacent to graphitic N are the main catalytic sites and exhibit a smaller activation energy, which are more responsible than those in pyridinic N and pyrrolic N doped carbon materials. Furthermore, the N‐C₈₀₀ catalyst demonstrates an effective antibacterial performance for marine bacteria in simulated seawater. This work provides a new insight for electro‐generation of H₂O₂ in neutral electrolyte and triggers a great promise in ocean‐energy application.