A complementary set of electrochemical and X-ray synchrotron techniques to determine the passivation mechanism of iron treated in a new corrosion inhibitor solution specifically developed for the preservation of metallic artefacts

Metallic artefacts of the cultural heritage are often stored in uncontrolled environmental conditions. They are very sensitive to atmospheric corrosion caused by a succession of wet and dry periods due to variations of relative humidity and temperature. To avoid the complete degradation of the metallic artefacts, new preventive strategies must be developed. In this context, we have studied new compounds based on sodium carboxylates solutions CH₃(CH₂) _n−2COO⁻, Na⁺ hereafter called NaC _n . They allow the formation of a passive layer at the metallic surface composed of a metal–carboxylate complex. To understand the action of those inhibitors in the passivation process of iron we have performed electrochemical measurements and surface characterisation. Moreover, to monitor in real time the growth of the coating, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) experiments at iron K-edge were carried out in an electrochemical cell. These analyses have shown that in the case of NaC₁₀ solution, the protection of iron surface is correlated to the precipitation of a well-organised layer of FeC₁₀. These experiments confirmed that this compound is a fully oxidised trinuclear Fe(III) complex containing decanoate anions as ligands. Such information concerning the passive layer is a key factor to evaluate its stability and finally the long-term efficiency of the protection treatment.