The corrosion behavior of cupronickel alloy immersed in the simulated seawater in or without the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) was studied. The results of scanning electronic microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectra reveal that corrosion of the sample immersed in the simulated seawater with SRB was more serious than that immersed in the simulated seawater without SRB. The atomic force microscopy images show that after immersion for 15 days, the surface roughness of the sample in the simulated seawater with SRB was higher than that of the sample in the simulated seawater without SRB. The analysis of confocal laser scanning microscopy indicates that the average depth of the pits on the surface of the sample in the simulated seawater with SRB was almost twice deeper than that of the sample in the simulated seawater without SRB.

•Sub-micrometer mesoporous silica containers were prepared for loading corrosion inhibitor.•Controlled release of 8-HQ from the containers was found in response to pH change.•The self-healing ability of the epoxy coatings containing containers was proved by SVET.In the present work, the sub-micrometer containers were prepared using mesoporous silica particles (SBA-15) with parallel channels as reservoir and 8-hydroxyquinoline as corrosion inhibitor. Layer-by-layer assembling was used to construct a shell of polyelectrolytes around the silica particles. Release of 8-hydroxyquinoline from sub-micrometer containers was studied in response to acidic or alkaline pH values. The results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) show the improvement of corrosion resistance of epoxy coatings containing sub-micrometer containers. Self-healing ability of the epoxy coatings was provided by sub-micrometer containers, as evidenced by the results of scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET).

•Cerium tartrate was found to be an effective inhibitor for AA 2024-T3.•Both anodic and cathodic inhibitions were present during the corrosion process.•The corrosion of Al2CuMg phase was well inhibited by cerium tartrate.A new corrosion inhibitor, cerium tartrate, was synthetized. The inhibition behavior of cerium tartrate for 2024-T3 aluminum alloy was investigated in 0.05 M NaCl solution. The immersion tests indicate that the corrosion of Al2CuMg phase was well inhibited. The electrochemical results show that both anodic and cathodic inhibitions are present during the corrosion process. The surface characterizations reveal that the protective film of cerium tartrate inhibits the dealloying of Al2CuMg phase in the initial stage, and then cerium ions transform to cerium oxide/hydroxides and appear at the Al2CuMg phase, blocking the further corrosion at those corrosion sites.

•The corrosion inhibition of coupled Al2Cu–Al and Al3Fe–Al by cerium cinnamate was studied.•SVET and SIET were used to study the distribution of current densities and pH.•The corrosion inhibition mechanisms were analyzed.The galvanic corrosion of the coupled Al2Cu and Al as well as Al3Fe and Al in 0.005 M NaCl in and without the presence of cerium cinnamate was studied. Scanning vibrating electrode technique and scanning ion-selective electrode technique were used to measure the distribution of current densities and pH. The results indicate that cerium cinnamate played inhibiting effect on the coupling corrosion of Al2Cu–Al and Al3Fe–Al. For Al2Cu–Al, the inhibition was mainly influenced by the production of cerium oxide/hydroxide on Al2Cu surface. However, for Al3Fe–Al, the inhibition was mainly influenced by the adsorbed cerium cinnamate on the Al3Fe surface.

•Sol–gel coating doped with 8-hydroxyquinoline was prepared by dip-coating technique.•The corrosion resistance of the sol–gel coating on AA 2024-T3 was studied.•8-Hydroxyquinoline hindered the corrosion from a defect in the sol–gel coating.This work presents the silane-based sol–gel coatings that prepared by in situ doping 8-hydroxyquinoline as corrosion inhibitor for the protection of AA 2024-T3. The morphology and thickness of the sol–gel coatings were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Immersion tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to study the corrosion resistance of the blank and 8-hydroxyquinoline doped sol–gel coatings. The results indicate that the addition of 8-hydroxyquinoline effectively improved the corrosion resistance of the sol–gel coatings. The self-healing effect of 8-hydroxyquinoline on the corrosion in the defects of sol–gel coating was assessed by scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) and proved by the results of energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping.

Microcapsules containing core materials are promising component for developing self-healing coatings. In the present work, urea-formaldehyde capsule containing core material with size of micrometer was prepared by in-situ encapsulation method. The morphology of the microcapsules was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. A corrosion inhibitor, benzotriazole, was successfully loaded on the outside of microcapsules by layer-by-layer assembling using polyelectrolytes. Thus, the modified microcapsules are promising to provide healing ability combined by release of interior core material and exterior corrosion inhibitor.

•Localized electrochemical techniques are applied to study the corrosion of Al2CuMg phase.•Al2CuMg phase reveals high level of self-dissolution.•The alkalization of S phase can lead to the trenching of Al matrix around it.The coupling of pure Al, Cu and Mg wires and the coupling of Al2CuMg intermetallic rod and Al wire were used to study the corrosion process of Al2CuMg phase particles in 2024-T3 aluminium alloy, by means of scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) and scanning ion-selective electrode technique (SIET). The results show the preferential dissolution of Mg in the coupling of Al, Cu and Mg. Al2CuMg was found to show self-dissolution when coupled with Al, rather than anodic dissolution. According to the results, a mechanism of early corrosion of S phase in AA2024-T3 is proposed.

•The anodic and cathodic inhibitions of cerium cinnamate on AA 2024-T3 were investigated.•Cerium cinnamate was proved to be an effective inhibitor pigment for epoxy coatings.•Cerium cinnamate played self-healing effect at the defects in epoxy coatings.An environmentally friendly inhibitor, cerium cinnamate (CeCin), was studied as an additive to an epoxy coating. The effects of corrosion inhibition on AA 2024-T3 provided by cerium cation and cinnamate anion were investigated by electrochemistry impedance spectra (EIS) and polarization tests. It was found that cerium ion and cinnamate group have synergistic inhibiting effects. The EIS results show that CeCin is an effective inhibitor pigment for improving the corrosion resistance of epoxy coatings on AA2024-T3, as reflected by the much higher coating resistance than that of the blank epoxy coating. The inhibiting effect of CeCin during the onset of corrosion in defects of the epoxy coating was verified using scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET), which is in agreement with the EIS results.