A. Chaabani et al.
10.4236/msce.2017.510004 45 Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering
1. Introduction
Cu-Sn alloys were used since antiquity to produce sculptures, coins and arte-
facts. These materials exhibit good mechanical and esthetical properties.
Numerous analytical techniques were used to study tin bronze corrosion me-
chanisms [1] [2] [3]. Electrochemical investigations were also undertaken
[4]-[8]. We used the cyclic voltammetry technique to explore archaeological
Punic bronze corrosion behavior in chloride electrolyte [9] and we compared
also modern and archaeological materials voltammetric behaviors [10] recently,
we showed [11] that the bronze corrosion reaction order with respect to chloride
ions varied as the halide content changed. In fact, for [Cl
−
] < 0.5 M, the reaction
order was about 0.22 suggesting that the Cu10Sn bronze alloy dissolution was
not strongly dependent with Cl
−
ions which could act as corrosion initiator. For
[Cl
−
] > 0.5 M the bronze mechanism alloy was controlled by copper oxidation.
Two determining steps were evidenced where the cuprous chloride formation
was followed by
complex.
We used also electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy to characterize the
corrosion behavior of archaeological bronze in 0.1 M chloride medium interface.
Indeed, a simple electrical equivalent circuit was used to explain the material
reactivity.
As the corrosion ability of materials depends on various conditions, then, the
large number of experimental factors to consider remained the major obstacle
for the experimenter to understand the alteration mechanisms. Nowadays, the
chemometric approach is considered as powerful tool for studying the corrosion
and protection process. Many works introduced the use of experimental designs
for understand metals corrosion and inhibition [12]-[18]. Among them, only
de Lago
et al.
[19] used the experimental design to study the effect of 2-amino-
5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (AMT) as inhibitor for bronze protection in artifi-
cial rainwater.
However, the experimental design use for studying bronze corrosion, to the
best of our knowledge, was not yet investigated.
The aim of the present investigation was to model the experimental condi-
tions of tin bronze patination using full factorial experimental design. The main
interests for application of an artificial patina are rebuilding of historical arti-
facts, works of arts and for the purpose of scientific research.
2. Methodology
2.1. Electrochemical Test
High-purity Cu and Sn metals (Goodfellow copper rod > 99.999 wt. % and Sn
Johnson-Matthey tin slug > 99.9985 wt. %) and Cu-10 wt. % Sn alloy (5.60 at. %
Sn) were used in this study. The bronze was prepared from the pure copper and
tin through a procedure detailed elsewhere [20]. The working electrodes made
from this alloy were embedded into a chemically inert resin with an exposed area
(only one face) of 0.33 cm
2
. Before use, the electrodes were mechanically polished
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