Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

This project is part of a research program that seeks to resolve fundamental scientific problems underlying corrosion science and materials degradation. The grant will enable the primary scientific developments needed to develop novel analytical approaches and instrumentation to access previously unobtainable information on the structure, composition and reactivity of materials surfaces. This project will address key scientific needs in three areas, particularly the needs for advancement in analytical technology in each area.  We will determine the fine details of the composition, structure, and reactivity of the nanometres-thick oxide films responsible for protecting many metals from rapid degradation in our oxidizing environment. To do this, we are developing novel techniques that allow electrochemical measurements in water-based solutions to be conducted in an ultra-high vacuum chamber on a specimen being probed by high-energy ion scattering methods, or that use a specific nuclear reaction between thermal neutrons and a certain type of oxygen atom to help reveal the location of that atom within a thin oxide layer. We will attempt to resolve the question of how uniform is uniform corrosion; that is, when uniform corrosion occurs, the resulting damage to the metal generates a small amount of roughness.  Determining how much roughness results is critical to predicting the corrosion lifetime of thin metallic structures such as microelectronic circuitry. Finally, we will advance our efforts to develop micro-sized electrochemical sensors for measuring chemical conditions in difficult-to-access locations, such as in the cracks and crevices where corrosion processes often initiate and cause significant damage, undetected (e.g. under gaskets, tiles, or otherwise protective coatings).  The outcome will be both knowledge that can be applied to the specific questions under investigation, as well as novel and sensitive analytical methods that can then serve to address key questions in other areas of application.