Abstract
Corrosion is a term traditionally describing degradation processes in metals. Modern dictionaries explain corrosion as: ‘erosion by chemical action’ or ‘a state of deterioration in metals caused by oxidation or chemical action’. Erosion by chemical action applies to degradation processes in both metals and polymers, with humidity as one principal actor. In polymers, extended humidity exposure can result in manifest corrosion. Less clear is the action of transient humidity exposure, causing corrosion, or reversible effects mistakenly interpreted as corrosion. Effects of transient humidity exposure on polymers have been recently investigated by contact angle measurements. However, contact angles are insensitive to various parameters, including changes in topography. In this paper the author illustrates the importance of minimal effects of corrosion in polymers, exemplary for the method of cell receptor interaction chromatography (CRIC), a method initially designed to predict specific biocompatibility in an aqueous milieu. The method of CRIC exploits the interplay between the attachment of nanospheres suspended in drops to nanostructured substrates and their transport by convection, and discriminates between physical and chemical parameters involved in corrosion.
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