A model study on controlling dealloying corrosion attack by lateral modification of surfactant inhibitors

Abstract Detrimental corrosion is an ever-concerning challenge for metals and alloys. One possible remedy to apply organic inhibitors. Despite progress in molecular assembly inhibitor research, better mechanistic insight on the level needed. Here we report behavior of well-defined artificial interfaces created by micro-contact printing thiol-inhibitor molecules subsequent backfilling. The obtained heterogeneity defects trigger localized dealloying-corrosion Cu 3 Au surfaces. stability applied depends alloy surface morphology intermolecular forces layers. On extended terraces, dealloying preferentially starts at boundary between areas composed two different chain-length molecules. Inside hardly any nucleation initial pits visible. Step density strongly influences attack, while film avoids cracking controls molecular-scale attack. presented surface-science approach, moreover, will ultimately allow verify acting mechanisms inhibitor-cocktails develop recipes stabilize metallic