State of the art and current trends on the metal corrosion and protection strategies in deep sea

Deep sea, with rich oil, gas, and mineral resources, plays an increasingly crucial role in scientific and industrial realms. However, the highly corrosive feature of deep sea hinders further exploration and development, which requires metal materials with robust corrosion resistance. This review covers an in-depth and all-around overview of the up-to-date advances in corrosion and protection of metals in deep-sea environment. Firstly, the unique characteristics of deep-sea environment are summarized in detail. Subsequently, the corrosion performances of metals in both in situ and simulated deep-sea environments are illustrated systematically. Furthermore, corrosion prevent strategies of metals, including sacrificial anode protection, organic coatings, as well as coatings achieved by physical vapor deposition (PVD coatings), are highlighted. Finally, we outline current challenges and development trends of corrosion and protection of metals in deep-sea environment in the future. The purpose of this review is not only to summarize the recent progress on metal corrosion and protection in deep sea, but also to aid us in understanding them more comprehensively and deeply in a short time, so as to boost their fast development.