A new contact electric resistance technique for in-situ measurement of the electric resistance of surface films on metals in electrolytes at high temperatures and pressures

Surface films play a major role in corrosion assisted cracking. A new Contact Electric Resistance (CER) method has been recently developed for in situ measurement of the electric resistance of surface films. The method has been upgraded for high temperature high pressure application. The technique can be used for any electrically conductive material in any environment including liquid, gas or vacuum. The technique has been used to determine in situ the electric resistance of films on metals during adsorption of water and anions, formation and destruction of oxides and hydrides, electroplating of metals and to study the electric resistance of films on semiconductors. The resolution of the CER technique is 10-9 Ω, which corresponds to about 0.03 monolayers of deposited copper during electrochemical deposition Cu/Cu2+. Electric resistance data can be measured with a frequency of the order of one hertz, which enables one to follow in situ the kinetics of surface film related processes. The kinetics of these processes and their dependence on the environment, temperature, pH and electrochemical potential can be investigated