Corrosion of steel, aluminum and other structural metals erodes the safety and financial stability of industries and countries alike. Fighting corrosion in ships, tanks, planes and equipment costs the Pentagon $22.9 billion a year. Corrosion costs advanced industrialized nations about 3.5% of GDP to replace damaged material and components, plus a similar amount due to lost production, environmental impact, disrupted transportation, injuries and fatalities.
While traditional corrosion protection has relied mostly on short-lived, physically bonded coverings of substrate surfaces, a new category of chemically bonded phosphate ceramics (CBPCs) can create a long-lived passivation layer that stops corrosion. This is further protected by a tough ceramic outer layer.