Passivation for Protection, Nitric Acid Passivation for Strength

Corrosion is all around us; it can cause metal
to rust, can lead to batteries leaking fluid, and can cause untold
damage to vehicles, bridges or other structures. Passivation is the
coating of a surface to prevent corrosion, and is used frequently
in electronics. Some types of substances are naturally passive to
corrosion, including aluminum, steel and nickel.

Nitric
acid passivation
is a great way to use a common and useful chemical for a
greater purpose. However, great care must be taken when using
nitric acid, as this chemical can be extremely dangerous. It is not
recommended that you use this at home.
Those that are interested in passivation, but
also need to find ways to clean their metals often turn to nitric
acid passivation techniques, as it will not remove the underlying
strength of the metal itself, and nitric acid is a powerful
cleaner. Nitric acid is used to test gold, can protect stainless
steel from types of corrosion, and is very effective in
passivation. However, there are many federal and state safety
requirements that must be met when working with this chemical, as
it can be toxic in the wrong conditions. Oxidizing the surface of
metal requires a great deal of skill.

In the search for
the perfect

Passivation
technique that reduces corrosion without harming the metal;
many companies turn to nitric acid passivation, as nitric acid is
readily available. The corrosion of stainless steel has cost many
industries millions of dollars, and passivation is a useful
technique that can reduce the amount of waste caused by
corrosion, and improve the strength of metal. Those in the metal
industries rely upon ever-improving passivation methods, and have
weighed the benefits of using nitric acid as opposed to other
methods such as citric acid. Depending upon the ph levels of the
metals, results may vary.

When it comes to cleaning the metal and using
passivation, there are many sources that can help provide
information. The EPA has done a great deal of research regarding
the effectiveness of nitric acid passivation, and there are
websites that can provide statistics and techniques. Engineers are
able to use nitric acid for passivation techniques, and there are
many engineer websites that publish their views on these methods.
New products for passivation come out on the market all the time,
so do your research and visit with the experts to find everything
you ever wanted to know about this area of metallurgy.