Corrosion evolution of Cu-Pb alloys from the Western Zhou Dynasty in simulated archaeological soil environment

Abstract The corrosion behaviour study of Cu-Pb alloy in simulated archaeological soil environment were investigated using electrochemical accelerated corrosion, Field emission scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, laser scanning confocal microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical methods. It is crucial that the corrosion resistance of the Cu-Pb alloy was found to alter with the Pb content in the alloy. The results demonstrated that Cu-13.28Pb alloy exhibited the best corrosion resistance with the smallest corrosion current density and the lowest anodic dissolution rate. The corrosion products are mainly composed of matrix metal oxides and metal-insoluble inert compounds. The correlation between Pb content and corrosion behaviour and the corresponding corrosion mechanism were clarified.