Some α + β’ brass components of drinking water distribution systems in Morocco underwent early failures and were investigated to assess the nature and extent of the corrosion attacks. They exhibited different corrosion forms, often accompanied by extensive β’ dezincification. In order to offer viable alternatives to these traditional low cost materials, the corrosion behavior of two representative α + β’ brass components was compared to that of brass alloys with nominal compositions CuZn36Pb2As and CuZn21Si3P, marketed as dezincification resistant. CuZn21Si3P is a recently developed eco-friendly brass produced without any arsenic or lead. Electrochemical tests in simulated drinking water showed that after 10 days of immersion CuZn21Si3P exhibited the highest polarization resistance (R_p) values but after longer immersion periods its R_p values became comparable or lower than those of the other alloys. After 150 days, scanning electron microscope coupled to energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analyses evidenced that the highest dezincification resistance was afforded by CuZn36Pb2As (longitudinal section of extruded bar), exhibiting dealloying and subsequent oxidation of β’ only at a small depth. Limited surface dealloying was also found on CuZn21Si3P, which underwent selective silicon and zinc dissolution and negligible inner oxidation of both α and κ constituent phases, likely due to peculiar galvanic effects.

This study comprehensively characterizes synthesized phosphate materials, specifically A₂MnP₂O₇ (where A represents Na, K, or Li), utilizing the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy techniques. The XRD results corroborate the crystalline nature of these compounds, while the IR spectra disclose pivotal structural characteristics, including the bent geometry of the POP bridge. A significant observation is the mismatch of specific IR bands, suggesting a non-centrosymmetric arrangement in the A₂MnP₂O₇ crystal lattice. The synthesized materials were evaluated as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel (MS) in 3 wt.% NaCl. Electrochemical assessments indicate that these materials act as mixed-type inhibitors, demonstrating high inhibition efficiencies (η%), reaching peak values of 88.3% for Na₂MnP₂O₇, 87% for K₂MnP₂O₇, and 86.7% for Li₂MnP₂O₇ at a concentration of 10⁻³ mol/L. The study also elucidates the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters dictating the inhibition phenomena. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to examine the surface morphology of mild steel in the presence of these inhibitors.

Replacing lead atoms in halide perovskite materials is of significant importance for the development of environmentally friendly perovskite solar cells. In this paper, we investigated the effect of doping the MAPbI2.6Cl0.4 hybrid perovskite (MA-methyl ammonium) with non-toxic elements, such as alkaline earth metal ions (Mg2+) and transition metal ions (Zn2+). The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the prepared samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and UV-Vis. spectroscopy. Finally, the doped films were used as photoactive layers in solar devices in order to evaluate their photovoltaic performance. Zn proved to be more appropriate to replace partially Pb and films with higher quality were obtained. As a result, the MAPb1-xZnxI2.6Cl0.4 based solar cells have demonstrated a slight improvement of the photovoltaic performances, resulting in a uniform and narrower PCEs (power conversion efficiency) range, compared to pristine MAPbI2.6Cl0.4 based devices.