Abstract

LOPEZ BADILLA, Gustavo et al. Corrosion of electronic devices of the electronics industry of Mexicali, B.C.: México influenced by H₂S pollution. Nova scientia [online]. 2013, vol.5, n.9, pp.29-41. ISSN 2007-0705.

Hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) is a weak and diprotic acid, which is dispersed into the air, by winds S when is emitted from natural and anthropogenic sources, principally from industrial plants. It is a pollutant with a high level of toxicity, impairing the environment quality. It air pollutant attacks to metals used in the electronics industry as carbon steel, cooper and silver alloys, and forming thin films as corrosion products or dendrite whiskers as sulfides in the metallic surfaces, enhancing the metallic corrosion. This gas enter to indoor of industrial plants, by inlets of air conditioning systems, holes, roofs, in any time of periods of year. In the autumn, winter and spring seasons, people in companies leave open some doors with knowledge of the negative effect of H₂S in metallic components of electronic components, and this corrosive acid enter easily. For this reason, a study was conducted in indoors of two electronics plants in Mexicali exposed at low concentrations of H₂S, to determine the damage caused to this electronic devices. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) technique was applied to determine the type of corrosion types formed: uniform, crevice and pitting, and the chemical agents that reacted with the metallic surfaces of electronic components. The SEM technique shows the microphotographies and the information of the corrosion products presented in this study, correlated with the relative humidity (RH) and temperature levels.

Keywords : H₂S; corrosion; air pollutants; electronics industry; microscopy analysis.

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