Environmentally friendly anti-corrosion techniques
The EU's SILACOR project set out to identify new coating techniques, with an improved environmental profile. The main concern associated with chromium films is that hexavalent chromium is water soluble and presents a serious environmental threat at every stage of the process. SILACOR project researchers concentrated on silica-based compounds as the basis for novel protective layers against corrosion as an alternative to chromium-based passivation films. The starting point was provided by literature sources, which had hinted at the protective abilities of silica compounds. However, these had never been explored at an industrial scale. The project resulted in the development of two main silica-based sols, UFC sol and Coventya sol. Both these sols produced films, which offered protection similar to that conferred by chromate. The project also addressed issues relating the reactivity of the new silica-based films with their steel and zinc substrates. The obtained data from the project indicate that the new silica-based technology could offer a viable alternative to the current standards in the anti-corrosion industry. Partners are sought to further this application and explore the possibility of using these films in a variety of settings such as automobile manufacturing and home appliance manufacturing.
