A new experimental setup for in situ infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy studies of atmospheric corrosion on metal surfaces considering the influence of ultraviolet light.

The knowledge available regarding the influence of ultraviolet (UV) light on the atmospheric corrosion of materials is very rudimentary. Therefore, a new experimental setup consisting of a cell for studying in situ reactions occurring at the metal/atmosphere interface by simultaneously applying infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements was designed and built. The cell presented consists of an acrylic glass body with a UV-light-transparent window mounted in such a way that the sample can be irradiated and weathered under controlled atmospheric conditions under a grazing angle of incidence of the IR beam. This new setup was tested by using a specimen of polycrystalline silver, where the growth of Ag(2)CO(3) and AgOH as basic silver carbonate on the surface could be observed. The weathering tests were carried out in synthetic air containing 90% relative humidity (RH) and 250 ppm CO(2), with and without UV light. The results obtained from the IRRAS spectra could be perfectly correlated with the in situ QCM data.