Morphological and Electrochemical Investigation of Aluminum Nano-Coating on Mild Steel Using Vacuum Evaporator System

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Abstract This study investigates the morphological and electrochemical properties of aluminum (Al) nano-coatings deposited on mild steel substrates using a vacuum thermal evaporation technique. The primary aim was to enhance the corrosion resistance of mild steel through controlled deposition of Al films with varying thicknesses (4 nm, 6 nm, 8 nm, 10 nm, and 60 nm). Morphological characterization was performed using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). While electrochemical behavior was assessed through Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR), Tafel analysis, and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) in a 0.5 M NaCl solution. Results revealed that surface morphology and roughness improved significantly with increasing Al thickness, with the 60 nm sample showing the most uniform and continuous coating. Electrochemical tests demonstrated enhanced corrosion resistance indicated by increased impedance values and reduced corrosion current densities at greater film thicknesses. The 60 nm coating exhibited optimal performance were reduced the corrosion rate by nearly 20% compared to the uncoated sample. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) confirmed successful Al deposition with distinct crystalline peaks observed in thicker films. The findings suggest that vacuum evaporated Al nano-coatings are highly effective in improving the surface integrity and corrosion resistance of mild steel, making them suitable for applications in harsh environments.
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Morphological and Electrochemical Investigation of Aluminum Nano-Coating on Mild Steel Using Vacuum Evaporator System | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Morphological and Electrochemical Investigation of Aluminum Nano-Coating on Mild Steel Using Vacuum Evaporator System NORUZAMAN DAUD This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6772377/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates the morphological and electrochemical properties of aluminum (Al) nano-coatings deposited on mild steel substrates using a vacuum thermal evaporation technique. The primary aim was to enhance the corrosion resistance of mild steel through controlled deposition of Al films with varying thicknesses (4 nm, 6 nm, 8 nm, 10 nm, and 60 nm). Morphological characterization was performed using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). While electrochemical behavior was assessed through Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR), Tafel analysis, and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) in a 0.5 M NaCl solution. Results revealed that surface morphology and roughness improved significantly with increasing Al thickness, with the 60 nm sample showing the most uniform and continuous coating. Electrochemical tests demonstrated enhanced corrosion resistance indicated by increased impedance values and reduced corrosion current densities at greater film thicknesses. The 60 nm coating exhibited optimal performance were reduced the corrosion rate by nearly 20% compared to the uncoated sample. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) confirmed successful Al deposition with distinct crystalline peaks observed in thicker films. The findings suggest that vacuum evaporated Al nano-coatings are highly effective in improving the surface integrity and corrosion resistance of mild steel, making them suitable for applications in harsh environments. Surface chemistry Materials Engineering Aluminum nano-coating Vacuum Thermal evaporator AFM LPR Test EIS Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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