Atomistic view of the initial stages of metal corrosion

Corrosion is a leading cause of metal degradation and failures caused due to environmental interactions. Future alloy development requires the inclusion of corrosion resistance as a design criterion, and this begins with attaining a better understanding of how metal surfaces evolve when they encounter liquid phases. Recent experimental and modeling advances have made it possible to atomically probe liquid–solid interface reactions. Consequently, fundamental insights have been obtained in understanding the key processes in the critical early stages of corrosion, including active sites, dissolution, surface reconstruction and step dynamics.