Environmentally Friendly Corrosion Resistant Cerablak Coatings

"A low-cost chemical solution derived material is being proposed as an environmentally-friendly corrosion resistant coating material to combat the corrosion problems faced by the MDA. The coating material is a newly discovered inorganic oxide, calledCerablak, which is amorphous, or glassy, in nature and can be deposited as a hermetic, dense, and pin-hole free film by a simple dip coating, painting or spraying process. The chemical precursor solution used to develop the coating material providesexcellent wetting characteristics and yields a dense inorganic film after a brief curing step. It is a lightweight material that is thermally stable and chemically inert and has shown excellent resistance to corrosion on aluminum upon exposure to salt fogtests. The coating process is versatile and simple in design and operation and can be applied in the field very easily. Phase I work will involve development of Cerablak coatings of varying thickness and composition on aluminum and ferrous alloys, andother substrates. Extended corrosion testing will be done using a salt fog chamber on selected coupons. This low-cost environmentally-friendly coating technology can be implemented to combat corrosion for both military and commercial use and willprovide significant cost and environmental benefits."