Electrochemical Corrosion Testing Services

IMR's electrochemical corrosion lab in Ithaca, NY performs testing on candidate materials, passivation effects, and galvanic corrosion on bi-metal combinations, primarily in the medical device industry. For service environments where standard pass/fail exposure testing is insufficient, electrochemical corrosion testing offers a more advanced analysis.

Testing is performed through a controlled electrochemical reaction between two materials, or between an exposed surface and its surrounding environment.  The introduction of a voltage current to the testing setup rapidly accelerates the effect of the test solution on the material. Therefore, targeted electrolyte solutions can be used to simulate long-term conditions and predict and characterize the corrosive properties of metal materials and components.

APPLICATIONS FOR ELECTROCHEMICAL TESTING

• Analysis of finished medical devices for pitting and crevice corrosion susceptibility
• Comparison of raw materials (screening) for corrosion characteristics
• Evaluating effects of passivation or surface modifications on corrosive behavior
• Evaluating/comparing processing effects on corrosion properties
• Evaluating bimetal combinations for galvanic corrosion behavior

ELECTROCHEMICAL CORROSION TESTING METHODS

• Cyclic Potentiodynamic Polarization Measurements (ASTM F2129)
• Cyclic Potentiodynamic Polarization
• Corrosion Susceptibility of Iron, Nickel, Cobalt Alloys (G61)
• Galvanic Corrosion (ASTM G71)
• Galvanic Corrosion of Medical Implants (F3044)
• Linear Polarization Resistance (ASTM G59)