A Study of the Corrosion of Polymethyl Methacrylate Coated Rebar Using Glancing Angle X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy

Polymer coatings can be used to mitigate the corrosion of steel in high-chloride environments. Obtaining speciation information from thin corrosion layers can be important for understanding corrosion mechanisms, including polymer coating failure. This study outlines the effectiveness of collecting glancing angle x-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (GA-XANES) spectra at the Fe K-edge to obtain chemical speciation information at the polymer/steel interface without removal of the polymer film. The depth of penetration of the incident x rays can be altered by changing the incidence angle, allowing for more fluorescence signal from corrosion products to be detected relative to the Fe metal fluorescence signal in GA-XANES spectra. This study demonstrates the use of GA-XANES to study thin layers of steel corrosion and obtain depth profile information of steel corrosion products beneath a polymethyl methacrylate polymer coating.