Corrosion protection of metals by water-based silane mixtures of bis-[trimethoxysilylpropyl]amine and vinyltriacetoxysilane

A silane surface treatment based on the water soluble mixtures of bis-[trimethoxysilylpropyl]amine and vinyltriacetoxysilane has been developed with the aim of replacing conventional chromating processes in metal-finishing industries. A variety of performance tests were employed to evaluate the anti-corrosive ability of these silane mixtures on different metals. The test results consistently demonstrated that corrosion protection performance of silane mixtures is comparable to that of chromates. In addition, a characterization study of these silane mixtures was also carried out with respect to solution stability, film thickness measurements and the effect of metal substrates on silane film structures, in order to obtain a better understanding of these silane mixtures.