Application of the quartz crystal microbalance technique in corrosion studies. A review

Various fields of application of the quartz crystal microbalance technique (QCM) and its modification, electrochemical quartz crystal nanobalance technique (EQCN), in studies on surface phenomena occurring during metal corrosion are discussed.The theory of the method, design concepts of a quartz resonator, piezoelectric sensor, and experimental setups are outlined.Factors affecting the frequency of oscillations of a quartz resonator, QCM and EQCN studies of the interaction of gases, water vapor, and various organic compounds with thin metal films are characterized.The processes of atmospheric corrosion, determination of the mass of aerosols precipitating from air and of the component composition of the atmosphere are described in detail.The prospects of using QCM and EQCN in studying the regularities of corrosion processes in electrolytes, adsorption of corrosion inhibitors and organosilicon monomers on the metal surface from gas and liquid media are discussed together with the mechanisms of growth and dissolution of a passive film on metals.Examples of application of the QCM method in combination with other physicochemical methods, such as the measurement of the electronic work function, contact potential difference, Auger spectroscopy, electron and atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, and a number of electrochemical methods, are provided.