Scanning Kelvin force microscopy study at the cut-edge of aluminum rich metal coated steel

This work aims to characterize the electrochemical behaviour of the phases observed on the cross-sections of different hot dip aluminum-rich metal coatings on steel. In this framework, scanning Kelvin probe coupled with atomic force microscopy was used to establish the differences of Volta potential on the cross-sections as function of the chemical composition of the different phases present on each system. Chemical analysis of the cross-sections was carried out with scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Then the differences in nobility among the different layers have been reported here and a galvanic series of the different sublayers has been established.