PETRA REINKE, professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Virginia, deconstructs how metal surfaces protect themselves from corrosion. Her research focuses on oxidation, a chemical reaction that occurs naturally when oxygen reacts with the surface of metals or alloys.
Reinke's research helps us understand the oxidation of nichrome and related super alloys down to the atomic scale. Just a small percentage of chromium added to nickel greatly improves corrosion resistance. The oxide layer formed with these two elements is more uniform and tightly bonded with the surface metal.
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