Stuck in Slow Motion? How Electrochemistry Speeds Coating Innovation

For more than eight decades, accelerated corrosion tests like salt spray (ASTM B117)1 and Prohesion (ASTM G85)2 have guided coating development and certifications, but their long durations and limited mechanistic insight slowed formulation cycles. Electrochemical methods, including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cathodic polarization, and anodic polarization (AP), are increasingly used for early corrosion screening.3, 4, 5, 6, 7 In this study, these tools were correlated across barrier, sacrificial, and inhibitive coatings. No single accelerated test universally correlated with salt spray and Prohesion; correlations were system-dependent. EIS and AP aligned with salt spray, while cathodic polarization matched Prohesion. Combined, these methods provide broader insight and can significantly shorten research and development timelines.