Research

The term corrosion is the reaction of a material with its environment. As a result, a measurable change in the material or an impairment of the function of a mechanical component or an entire system occurs. In most cases this reaction is electrochemical in nature. Corrosion types are differentiated according to material, cause and appearance.

The research activities in the working group Prof. Virtanen are focussed on aqueous corrosion as well as high temperature oxidation of modern metallic materials. The main focus of the work is on microstructural influences and alloying influences on the corrosion mechanisms of high-strength Al alloys, ultra-fine-grained Al-Mg and Al-Cu alloys, as well as on modern Mg alloys. On the other hand, degradation mechanisms of metallic implant materials are investigated; Biodgradable Mg and Fe based alloys are the main focus for ongoing projects. In both working areas, targeted corrosion protection methods are being developed, for example novel coatings and surface modifications. In the area of ​​high-temperature materials, elementary mechanisms are investigated during the high-temperature oxidation of monocrystalline Ni and Co-based superalloys.