The present research investigates the influence of surface roughness imparted by cold surface finishing processes on the localized corrosion resistance of stainless steel. Five different alloys were studied: ferritic AISI 430, martensitic AISI 430F, austenitic AISI 303, AISI 304L, and AISI 316L. It was demonstrated that the grinding process, executed on previously cold drawn bars, leads to an improvement in corrosion resistance according to the results obtained with electrochemical tests, namely, potentiostatic and potentiodynamic tests in chloride-rich environments, the salt spray test, and long-term exposure in urban and marine atmospheres. This allowed us to establish a trend among the different alloys regarding the resistance to pitting corrosion, which was assessed according to pitting potentials, critical chloride contents, and pitting initiation time. All the tests confirmed that surface finishing, as well as alloy chemical composition, is an important factor in controlling the corrosion resistance of stainless steel.

Inhibitors for the prevention of corrosion in reinforced concrete are chemical substances able to reduce carbon steel reinforcements corrosion without altering the overall properties of concrete. Today, many commercially available substances have a negative impact on human safety during either the inhibitor synthesis, their handling or application in field. Green corrosion inhibitors are nontoxic, biodegradable and environmentally biocompatible substances. They are generally made of extracts from natural plants or waste, which are abundantly available in several countries. The majority of green inhibitor molecules usually contain multiple bonds, aromatic rings, polar functional groups and electronegative atoms as P, N, S or O; the latter are able to coordinate with metal cations to form protective layers on the metallic surface of the reinforcements, so as to inhibit the development (initiation and/or propagation) of the corrosion process. In this review, the most recent achievements on the study and investigation of green corrosion inhibitors for concrete structures are presented and discussed. Inhibitors are classified based on their nature and inhibition mechanism. The inhibition effectiveness of the substances is compared with the well-established effective nitrite-based inhibitor, distinguishing between accelerated and long-term tests. Based on the available data, a summary of corrosion inhibitors efficiency is reported.

Microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) is a potentially critical degradation mechanism for a wide range of materials exposed to environments that contain relevant microorganisms. The likelihood and rate of MIC are affected by microbiological, chemical, and metallurgical factors; hence, the understanding of the mechanisms involved, verification of the presence of MIC, and the development of mitigation methods require a multidisciplinary approach. Much of the recent focus in MIC research has been on the microbiological and chemical aspects, with less attention given to metallurgical attributes. Here, we address this knowledge gap by providing a critical synthesis of the literature on the metallurgical aspects of MIC of carbon steel, a material frequently associated with MIC failures and widely used in construction and infrastructure globally. The article begins by introducing the process of MIC, then progresses to explore the complexities of various metallurgical factors relevant to MIC in carbon steel. These factors include chemical composition, grain size, grain boundaries, microstructural phases, inclusions, and welds, highlighting their potential influence on MIC processes. This review systematically presents key discoveries, trends, and the limitations of prior research, offering some novel insights into the impact of metallurgical factors on MIC, particularly for the benefit of those already familiar with other aspects of MIC. The article concludes with recommendations for documenting metallurgical data in MIC research. An appreciation of relevant metallurgical attributes is essential for a critical assessment of a material’s vulnerability to MIC to advance research practices and to broaden the collective knowledge in this rapidly evolving area of study.

Acidic corrosion in industrial environments represents a serious threat that requires an active prevention and management strategy. In this context, weak acids can create a severe corrosion environment for metallic surfaces, sometimes exceeding the severity observed in strongly acidic solutions under similar conditions. While most of the research efforts of the last decades in the field of the predictive modeling of acidic corrosion have been focused on the specific case of sweet corrosion caused by carbonic acid, the goal of this work is to describe and validate a predictive model to be used as a more transversal tool for acidic corrosion. The model, called the Tafel–Piontelli model, leverages Tafel law to mechanistically describe the electrochemical behavior of carbon steel in acidic aqueous environments. Two different acids, acetic and valeric, were used to experimentally evaluate the performance of the model in weakly acidic solutions, varying the pH and the temperature conditions. Potentiodynamic polarization tests and mass loss tests were performed, allowing us to assess the kinetic parameters (the Tafel slope and the exchange current density of the cathodic and anodic reactions) and corrosion rates of the corrosion process. The promising results suggest that the Tafel–Piontelli model is able to adapt to different scenarios and its intrinsically theoretical nature allows us to extend its predictions outside the range of experimental conditions used to validate it.