Corrosion engineering is a field of study that aims to improve the sustainability of products, equipment, and structures by protecting them from damage by corrosion mechanisms. Losses due to corrosion can be expressed as three to five percent of the gross domestic product of industrialized countries. In addition, corrosion often threatens the safety and health of people and the environment. The Corrosion Engineering Group deals with topics that are very topical in corrosion science. For example, the study of the corrosion mechanism of metallic packaging for the permanent storage of nuclear waste in underground repositories or biomaterials used for body implants. Other important activities of the Corrosion Engineering group include the study of corrosion aspects of hydrogen energy, e.g. hydrogen embrittlement of metals or corrosion resistance of fuel cell electrodes and electrolyzers, durability of materials in conventional and nuclear power generation, development of organic and metallic coatings for corrosion protection, corrosion monitoring and protection of metallic monuments.
Research topics:
Metallic packaging for the permanent storage of radioactive waste
- Corrosion resistance of container materials for deep disposal Prediction of container lifetime - mathematical modelling and archaeological analogues
- Participation of microorganisms in corrosion processes
- Long-term tests in the Bukov underground laboratory
Hydrogen for energy storage and its impact on material safety
- Mechanical properties of metallic devices for hydrogen transport and storage (in cooperation with Technopark)
- Hydrogen embrittlement of high-strength steels and light alloys (in cooperation with Technopark)
- Corrosion resistance of metal parts of fuel cells and electrolyzers
Conventional and nuclear power engineering
- Durability of structural materials in conventional power plant operations
- Causes of corrosion and corrosion protection of structural materials in power plants
Coatings for corrosion protection
- Advanced aluminium-based coatings
- Coatings from secondary raw materials for corrosion protection of metals (in cooperation with Technopark)
- Hot metal coatings for metals used in the automotive industry (in cooperation with Technopark)
Corrosion monitoring
- Development and commercialisation of a system for corrosion monitoring in the atmosphere
- Corrosion monitoring in the chemical and energy industries
- Monitoring of inflammation in the human body (in cooperation with the Biomaterials Research Group)
Protection of buildings against corrosion
- Use of electrochemistry in the protection of steel reinforcement in concrete
- Case studies on the corrosion of bridge prestressing reinforcement