Section 3 Tribocorrosion

**143**

**Chapter 8**

**Abstract**

electrode kinetics

**1. Introduction**

*Abdenacer Berradja*

Electrochemical Techniques for

Corrosion and Tribocorrosion

Monitoring: Fundamentals of

This first chapter aims at giving a brief framework for understanding the principles of electrochemistry in corrosion and tribocorrosion, enabling potential users and readers to quickly apprehend the electrochemical nature of corrosion. The subsequent chapter will provide additional details on the methods derived from these principles in a clear manner and ready-to-use format. In particular, the implementation of electrochemical techniques for the study of tribocorrosion allows, *in situ* and in real time, to monitor and control the corrosion conditions during wear and to quantify the corrosion kinetics. An introductory to some of the basic terms and concepts of electrochemistry and corrosion is first presented. Then, an overview of the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of relevance to corrosion electrochemistry is highlighted. A description on how the electrical nature of corrosion reactions allows the interface to be modeled as an electrical circuit, as well as how this electrical circuit can be used to obtain information on corrosion rates. These prerequisites are necessary to better understand the surface reactivity of metals and other electronic conductive materials immersed in ionic electrolyte media

**Keywords:** corrosion, tribo-electrochemistry, tribocorrosion, standard potential,

The corrosion science is a complex subject that is not well defined, and still continues to progress as the subject evolves from the simple traditional definition of "destruction of metals through oxidation and its prevention" to "degradation of a material that involves one or more chemical and/or electrochemical reactions and its foresight". This latter material definition encompasses a wide range of environments, and all classes of materials (ceramics, organics, composites), not just metals. The intentional conjunction with degradation due to non-chemical processes, such as tribology (i.e., science of friction, wear and lubrication), has open up a new global perspective topic of a rare universality that leads us to prospect many aspects of science and technology, namely tribocorrosion. To better understand the specificity of tribocorrosion, it is necessary to

Electrolytic Corrosion

whether or not subjected to mechanical stimuli.

briefly recall what distinguishes corrosion from tribocorrosion.
