Non-Invasive Detection of Corrosion Through Odour Emissions: Sniffing Out Rust

Corrosion poses a significant challenge in various industries, necessitating continual monitoring to avert disastrous consequences. Our objective is to devise an alternative method for corrosion detection by identifying by-products resulting from the redox reactions or any catalytic reactions of rust with its surroundings, leading to the release of odorant chemicals. Subsequently, using an electronic nose (AlphaMOS FOX4000), we explored differences in the chemical headspace between rusted samples and controls. The results indicated discernible variations in the chemical compounds within the rusted sample environments compared to the control samples, including metal, air, and water blanks, over specified corrosion time intervals ranging from one hour to two months. Application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) unveiled distinctive clusters among corroded samples at different time points, illustrating notable disparities between rusted and non-rusted samples, as well as variations among the corroded samples based on the duration of corrosion.