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BY STEVEN L. SUIB,1,2 JOHN LA SCALA,3 WILLIAM NICKERSON,4 AMY FOWLER,4
AND NABIL ZAKI5
1
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND 2INSTITUTE OF MATERIALS SCIENCE,
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT; 3U.S. ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY,
DEPARTMENT OF ARMY; 4NAVAIR-MATERIALS ENGINEERING DIVISION,
DEPARTMENT OF NAVY; AND 5SURTEC INTERNATIONAL, GMBH

Determination of Hexavalent
Chromium in NAVAIR
Trivalent Chromium Process (TCP)
Coatings and Process Solutions

ilitary weapon systems are

coated for a variety of reasons.
In addition to aesthetic appearance,
the coating system must provide
characteristics designed to meet
demanding
military
mission
requirements such as camouflage,
chemical warfare agent resistance,
electrical grounding, and electromagnetic shielding. Clearly the most
important contribution of the coatings system is protection of these
assets from environmental degradation, including corrosion.
A typical protective military coating system consists of an inorganic
pretreatment, an epoxy primer, and a
polyurethane topcoat. The pretreatment is applied directly to the metallic substrate to provide corrosion
protection and adhesion to primers
and topcoats. The majority of military applications typically use various chromate chemistries in some
part of the finishing process.
Chromate conversion coatings are
routinely applied to substrates of aluminum, titanium, magnesium, zinc,
cadmium, and ferrous alloys. These
coatings enhance adhesion as well as
provide protection to the metal when
the paint system becomes damaged.
Chromates are chemically defined as
hexavalent chromium species.
During the conversion process, Cr 6+ is
reduced to Cr 3+, with the exception of
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approximately 515% remaining as

Cr 6+ as an integral part of the layer.
This amount retains the solubility
properties of Cr 6+ compounds and
will leach out of the layer under
humid or wet conditions.
However, hexavalent chromium is
an EPA priority pollutant and a
known carcinogen. New local and
international regulations and directives have significantly restricted the
use of processes based on hexavalent
chromium, in addition to banning
its use in coatings. Consequently, a
search for a safer, yet effective, hexavalent chromium substitute became
an industry priority.
Recently, a conversion coating
process, designated trivalent chromium process, or TCP, has been developed and patented by NAVAIR. It
should be emphasized that trivalent
chrome compounds by definition are
not chromates, which specifically
describe chromium in the +6 oxidation state. The new technology is
based on low levels of Cr 3+. The process
solution and the coating it produces
are totally free of Cr 6+. It provides a
total replacement for traditional hexavalent chromium conversion coatings.
Whereas hexavalent chromium is a
carcinogen, trivalent chromium is
defined as non-hazardous and much
safer to use by regulatory and occupational health agencies.

The TCP process was extensively

evaluated and became commercially
available through NAVAIR licensees
in North America and internationally.* It can be used as a dip, spray, or
brush-on application. It is essentially
a drop-in replacement for conventional chromate-based conversion coatings, sealers, and post-treatments, and
it is widely used in many applications
for DoD and non-military industries.
A concern voiced as this technology
was introduced was the stability of
Cr 3+ in the coating and whether any
Cr 6+ formed in the protective layer or
in the TCP process solution.
A cooperative study was undertaken between NAVAIR, the U.S. Army
Research Lab, the University of
Connecticut, and TCP licensees to
investigate the stability of the TCP
process.
The focus of this work was to analyze and determine the speciation of
chromium in the TCP, and determine whether hexavalent chromium
is present in the process solution or
the coating, or if any is formed on
standing and during corrosive environmental exposure. These coatings
find applications for military spacecrafts where the body of the craft
needs to be highly resistant to corrosive environments and free of toxic
leachable Cr 6+ species.
Experimental work: All experimental results reported here were
obtained using commercially licensed
TCP from either SurTec International
or Henkel Surface Technologies to
* NAVAIR approved TCP licensees: (North America)
CST-SurTec: SurTec 650 chromitAL TCP; Henkel
Surface Technologies: Alodine T5900; Metalast
International: TCP-HF; Luster-On Products:
Aluminescent; (International) SurTec
International, GmbH: 650 chromitAL TCP.

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establish the following:
(A) Determination of hexavalent
chromium in coatings produced by
TCP and Alodine 1200S systems as
treated, and exposed to accelerated
corrosion conditions, and TCP coatings on exposure to the environment
for extended periods.
(B) Determination of hexavalent
chromium in the TCP and Alodine
1200S process solutions under use
conditions.

COATING EVALUATION
Effect of Exposure to Accelerated
Corrosion. Sample Preparation:
TCP and Henkels Alodine 1200S
were used as a dip solution to treat 3
10-inch panels of Al 2024 T3 alloy.
The panels were dipped for 5 minutes, rinsed, and air dried. Coated
panels were exposed to accelerated
corrosion treatment for 24, 72, 148,
and 744 hours in neutral salt spray
(NSS), and in salt spray with periodic infusion of SO2 gas in accordance
with ASTM G85. Panels were identified by process used, type, and time
of corrosion exposure. Untreated
blanks were used as a baseline.The
panels were positioned inside the
chamber in such a way that they are
tilted at a 6 angle from the vertical.
Treated and corroded panels are
designated as follows:

Figure 1: Calibration curve for hexavalent chromium in treated and treated-corroded samples.

Sample
2024 Acetone wiped (BLANK)
2024 TCP
2024 TCP SO2 24 hrs
2024 TCP SO2 72 hrs
2024 TCP SO2 148 hrs
2024 TCP NSS 744 hrs
2024 Alodine 1200S
2024 Alodine 1200S SO2 24 hrs
2024 Alodine 1200S SO2 72 hrs
2024 Alodine 1200S SO2 148 hrs
2024 Alodine 1200S NSS 744 hrs

Table 1: Results of Surface Cr 6+ Analysis on Treated and Treated-Corroded Samples

Description

2024 Blank

Not treated, not corroded

2024 TCP

Treated only, not corroded

2024 TCP SO2 24 hrs

Treatedcorroded with SO2 for 24 hrs

2024 TCP SO2 72 hrs

Treatedcorroded with SO2 for 72 hrs

2024 TCP SO2 148 hrs

Treatedcorroded with SO2 for 148 hrs

2024 TCP NSS 744 hrs

Treatedcorroded with NSS for 744 hrs

Test Methods: Determination of Cr 6+

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0.81
n.d.*
n.d.*
0.03
0.09

*Not detected

Designation

A similar nomenclature as the one

shown in the table above has been
used for Alodine 1200S samples by
simply replacing TCP with
Alodine 1200S.

Cr 6+ level (g/cm2)
n.d.*
n.d.*
n.d.*
n.d.*
n.d.*
n.d.*

in the coating of treated and treatedcorroded samples: This test analyzed

the Cr 6+ in the coating before and
after exposure to corrosion. A set of
stubs (1.9 2.5 cm) cut from the previously treated panels were tested in
batches of 16 pieces of stubs at a

time. A method for determining

hexavalent (only) chromium on the
surface or as a coating in Al alloys
was used. The method is based on
diphenylcarbazide chemistry.1
A solution of 1,5-diphenylcarbazide was prepared by dissolving
0.50 g of the carbazide in 50 ml of
acetone and 50 ml of water. Boiling
deionized water (25 ml) was added
to a set of sample stubs (1.9 2.5
cm) placed in a wide-mouth beaker.
Typically, 16 pieces of stubs were
used at a time. The beaker was
placed on a hot plate for five minutes to keep the water hot or just at
the boiling point to avoid bumping
and sample loss. The stubs were
then rinsed with deionized water,
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making sure that the rinse was conserved in the beaker. The solution
was then acidified with 1 ml of ~
4.5 M H2SO4 solution. After cooling down, the solution was transferred to a 50-ml volumetric flask.
An aliquot of the diphenylcarbazide (600 l) was added to the
solution and incubated for two
minutes, after which the reaction
between Cr 6+ and diphenylcarbazide
was stopped by the addition of a
phosphate buffer solution (55 g
NaH 2PO 4H 2O in 100 ml of
deioinized water). The solution was
then diluted to the 50-ml mark and
the absorbance of the solution at
540 nm was obtained using an HP
8452A Diode Array UV-Vis
Spectrophotometer.
A calibration curve was obtained
by preparing a series of standard
K2Cr2O7 solutions in order to interpolate the concentration of hexavalent chromium in a sample. The
same addition of diphenylcarbazide
and stopping with the phosphate
buffer was carried out. Absorbance
of the standard solutions was similarly obtained at 540 nm. As a rule,
the absorbance of prepared solutions was obtained in less than 30
minutes after final dilution to 50
ml. Results are expressed as g Cr 6+
per area (cm 2) of sample. Each
experiment was done in duplicate.
Verification of hexavalent chromium
detection method: To verify the
method used to detect hexavalent
chromium, the surface of Al 2024
blank stubs (1.9 2.5 cm) was spiked
with 500 L each of TCP and Alodine
1200S solutions. The stubs were then
air dried without rinsing. The same
Cr 6+ analysis technique was used as
detailed in the previous section. This
was done in order to confirm that
any Cr 6+ detected was coming from
the treated panels and not from an
oxidation process of Cr 3+ during the
test. It can also be used, if desired, to
correlate between the Cr 6+ content in
the process solution in contact with
the surfacein this case the Alodine
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Figure 2: Calibration curve for total chromium analysis by AAS.

Figure 3: Calibration curve for the Cr 6+ analysis of pretreatment solutions.

1200Sand the content in the resulting coating.

3100 and an air-acetylene flame.

Results are reported as ppm Cr.

Determination of total chromium

using atomic absorption spectroscopy
(AAS): AA2024T3-treated panels
were cut into stubs (1.27 1.27 cm)
weighing around 0.37 g. The stubs
were placed in a 50-ml beaker and
digested in aqua regia.2 A blank digestate was also made (no Al stub).
Samples were digested in duplicate. A
calibration curve was prepared from
standard Cr solutions. The digestate
and standard solutions were analyzed
for Cr content using a Perkin Elmer
Atomic Absorption Spectrometer

Effect of Environmental Exposure.3

Panels of known surface area were
processed in TCP at various temperatures (2050C) and various treatment times (0.510 min), then they
were rinsed and dried. The coating
on the panels was tested for Cr 6+ after
they were exposed to environmental
conditions as follows:
Directly after processing in TCP
After 6 weeks of storage indoors
After 6 weeks of outdoor exposure
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slightly higher than 2024 Blank. The

TCP process is based on low levels of
trivalent chrome. The amount found
in the coating will vary depending on
the alloy. Using this method, the different Cr uptake upon treatment of
different types of Al alloys can be
assessed. None of this Cr, however,
was present in the hexavalent form in
the TCP process as shown earlier.

Figure 4: Calibration curve for the Cr 6+ analysis of pretreatment solutions.

After 384-hour neutral salt spray

test (ASTM B-117)

The test panels were then leached

in boiling DI-water, and the Cr 6+ content in the leachate was determined
according to DIN 38405 (color reaction with diphenyl carbazide and
photometric analysis at 540 nm).

THE PROCESS SOLUTION

This test was used for the determination of hexavalent chromium content
of the TCP and Alodine 1200S process
solutions. The analysis was performed
on the solutions before and after dip
coating two (3 10-inch) AA2024T3
panels in each solution. They were
diluted and analyzed according to the
EPA 7196A method of determining
dissolved hexavalent chromium in
ground water or industrial wastes.1
RESULTS
Hexavalent Chromium in the Coating
of Treated and Treated-Corroded
Samples. Figure 1 gives the calibration curve for the analysis of hexavalent chromium on treated samples.
Table 1 gives the results of the analysis. No Cr 6+ was detected on any of
the TCP samples, including the
blank. These data confirm that the
TCP treatments do not contain, nor
do they produce, hexavalent chrome
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Hexavalent Chromium Content in

Treatment Solutions. Figure 4 gives
the calibration curve for the Cr 6+
analysis on treatment solutions
before and after coating two 3 10inch Al 2024 panels. No Cr 6+ was
detected in the TCP solutions before
or after coating the panels. A level of
1,678 ppm Cr 6+ was measured in the
fresh Alodine 1200S solution and
960 ppm on the used Alodine 1200S
treatment solution.

under all tested conditions. The

Alodine 1200S-treated samples
showed 0.81 g Cr 6+/cm2 directly
after treatment and drying, while
none was detectable after exposure
to ASTM G85 Annex 4 acidified salt
spray for 24 and 72 hours.

Environmental Exposure. All the panels exposed to indoor and outdoor

exposure for up to six weeks, including panels exposed to 336 hours of
ASTM B117 neutral salt spray,
showed values <0.02 g/cm (i.e., in
the non-detectable range for Cr 6+).

Verification of Hexavalent Chromium

Detection Method. No Cr 6+ was
detected for the stubs spiked with
the TCP solution. This is in agreement with the results described earlier. A level of 238 g Cr 6+ was
detected in the Alodine 1200S
spiked stub. It was noted that not
all the chromium was extracted
from the stub by the 5-minute
leaching in the analysis method
described in the experimental section. The dry-in-place conversion
coating on the spiked stub was
much heavier than the coating on
the panels.

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
TCP. From the hexavalent chromium analysis it is clear that TCP-coated and corroded panels do not show
any Cr 6+. Nor was any detected as a
result of environmental exposure.
Furthermore, no Cr 6+ was detected in
the TCP treatment solutions before
or after coating of the panels. In
practice, samples of TCP-coated
parts and solution taken from the
tanks in production plants after 6,
12, and 18 months of continuous
operation show no detectable Cr 6+.
No changeover of process solution
took place during that time.

Total Chromium Detection on Treated

Samples Using AAS. Figure 2 gives the
calibration curve for the total Cr
analysis using AAS. Samples 2024
Blank and 2024 TCP were analyzed
for total chromium content showing
levels of 480 ppm and 540 ppm Cr,
respectively. As expected, the total
chromium content of 2024 TCP was

Alodine 1200S. Table 1 lists the hexavalent chrome values in the coating. As
formed, the Cr 6+ level was 0.81 g
Cr6+/cm2. There was no detectable Cr6+
after 24- and 48-hour exposure to NSSSO2. The last two samples, NSS-SO2treated for 148 hours and NSS-treated
for 744 hours, gave Cr6+ levels of 0.03
and 0.09 g Cr6+/cm2, respectively.
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One explanation is the loss of the
coating through corrosion in the
aggressive medium used in the first
few hours. Panels inspected after 24
hours show widespread pitting. As
corrosion proceeds deeper into the
panel at 148 hours and beyond, Cr as
an alloy component may be the
source of detected Cr 6+. Panels treated with TCP showed far less corrosion, which may explain the lack of
detectable Cr 6+ after 148 and 744
hours in this test. A parallel evaluation of a blank panel is needed to
confirm this conclusion.
Another explanation may be based
on the mechanism of corrosion
observed by Kendig et al.4 After 24
hours of ASTM G 85 SO2 salt spray
exposure, most of the soluble, hexavalent chromium species could have
been washed away. The coating, however, remains uncorroded due to the
formation of compounds between the
oxy-anion of Cr 6+ and copper in the
alloy at localized sites.5 But after 148
hours, these hexavalent chromium
containing compounds may no longer
be stable and hence get completely
stripped from the alloy surface,
becoming part of the surface corrosion and thereby detected. The analysis of hexavalent chromiumtype coatings in corrosive atmospheres is
beyond the scope of this study.
Further investigation is needed to confirm the related corrosion mechanism.

CONCLUSIONS
Two methods were used in this study
to determine presence and quantities
of hexavalent chromium produced by
the TCP process when applied to
AA2024T3. A hexavalent chromecontaining process, Alodine 1200S, was
used as the reference. One method
analyzed for surface Cr 6+ on coated
panels and the other for its presence in
treatment solutions. In TCP-coated
samples, no hexavalent chromium was
detected even after exposure of coated
samples to ASTM G 85 SO2 salt spray
for up to 744 hours. Similarly, none
was detected after exposure to indoor
or outdoor environments. It was also
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confirmed that no hexavalent chromium is produced in the TCP treatment

solution or in treated parts under production conditions. This is corroborated by analyzing parts and solutions
from production plants treating various Al alloys in excess of 18 months
with no solution changeover.
Surface analysis of Alodine 1200Scoated panels shows 0.81 g/cm2 of
Cr 6+. Amounts detected during accelerated corrosion vary depending on
the corrosive environment and length
of treatment time. These ranged from
non-detectable after short but aggressive corrosion exposure, to detectable
low levels after extended exposure.
Further investigation may be needed
to accurately explain this behavior.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to thank the following colleagues for their valuable
contribution to this work: Aparna
Iyer, William Willis, and Sam Frueh
from the Department of Chemistry,
University of Connecticut; John
Escarsega from the U.S. Army
Research Laboratory, Department of
Army; and Julia Barnes and Luwam
Hagos from NAWC-AD Materials
Engineering, Department of Navy.
REFERENCES
1. Methods for Chemical Analysis of
Water and Wastes. EPA-600/4-82055, December 1982.
2. Zhang XM. Yejin Fenxi. 2001, 21, 67.
3. SurTec International, P.Volk.
Evaluation of Cr6+ in SurTec 650
chromitAL TCP, 2007
4. Kendig M, Jeanjaquet S, Addison
R, Waldrop J. Surface and Coatings
Technology, 2001, 140, 5866.
5. Grilli R, Baker M, Dunn B, Watts
J. Surface and Interface Analysis,
2008, 40, 132136
6. Alodine 1200S-Technical Process
Bulletin, Henkel, Surface
Technologies, 1999.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Steven L. Suib is a Board of Trustees distinguished professor of chemistry at the
University of Connecticut. He is co-author on
more than 400 publications and 40 patents,
and his research interests are in solid state,
materials, inorganic, analytical, and other

areas of chemistry. Suib holds a bachelor's

degree from the State University College of
New York at Fredonia, and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign.
John J. La Scala of the Materials Application
Branch at the Army Research Laboratory has
more than 10 years of experience in thermosetting polymers for composites and coatings applications. He received his PhD in
chemical engineering from the University of
Delaware.
Bill Nickerson is the Corrosion Fleet Focus
and Organic Coatings team lead for
NAVAIR, Patuxent River, Md. He has 12
years of experience within the DoD community, the last nine as the lead investigator for
multiple materials, corrosion, and coatings
programs. Nickerson holds a BA in chemistry from St. Marys College of Maryland
and an MEng in materials engineering
from the University of Maryland. He is a
NASF Certified Electroplater-Finisher and
a member of the Federation of Societies for
Coatings Technology. Nickerson holds several patents for corrosion prevention coatings,
and he provides in-service engineering support to Naval Aviation and the Joint DoD
service community.
Amy Fowler is the Inorganic Coatings team
lead for NAVAIR, Patuxent River, Md. She
has seven years of experience within the DoD
community, with the last four serving as the
lead investigator in support of multiple materials, corrosion, and coatings efforts for Navy,
Army, and USMC programs. Her work primarily focuses on chromated conversion coating alternatives, cadmium alternatives, galvanic corrosion, and chromate-free anodized
coating systems. Fowler holds a BA in chemistry from St. Mary's College of Maryland.
Nabil Zaki is vice president, Metal
Pretreatment, for SurTec International,
GmbH. He has over 30 years of experience
in the metal finishing industry and has
authored numerous publications and presentations at local and international symposia, with a special focus on new developments in environmentally safe technologies
in the metal finishing industry. Zaki has a
masters degree in chemical engineering
from NJIT, and is a member of ASTM B
08, SAE, ANSI, and is an NASF Fellow.
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