Nanolayer barriers for inhibition of copper corrosion

Protective nanolayers of alkyl hydroxamic acids deposited on a copper surface as a Langmuir-Blodgett film (LB) or as a self assembled molecular layer (SAM) were studied in acidic and neutral sodium chloride and sodium sulphate solutions. The LB film deposition and SAM formation on copper substrate were followed by a surface visualisation technique and by contact angle measurement. Following exposure to aggressive electrolytes the anticorrosion abilities of the monolayers and multilayers were characterised by image analysis, by the roughness of the copper surface, and by an electrochemical method.