Intercept Corrosion Control

[Alison Wain <alison@charvolant.org>]

Tony Martin of Intercept Corrosion Control recently asked if he could
post to Ozcons. He didn't want to make a big sales pitch, just to alert
people who might not know about Intercept products to their existence
and offer more information if it was required. As his message was so
brief that it didn't really indicate what Intercept products did, I felt
it would be more use to people if they could read some basic information
on the products and then decide if they wished to contact him. In
response to my request he sent the following information. I hope it is
useful.

Alison

Intercept Corrosion Control

Corrosion Protection

The most revolutionary characteristic of  Intercept is that the 
technology combines anti-static properties with corrosion protection. 
Corrosion protection of up to 15 to 20 years is provided for non-ferrous 
metals
(Silver, Copper, and their alloys such as brass and bronze). Ferrous metals
enjoy over 100 times the corrosion protection of unprotected parts. The key
to the corrosion protection is that the constituents of  Intercept react
with and permanently neutralize atmospheric corrosive gases as well as
interrupt the electric current flow of galvanic corrosion.

Non-ferrous metals corrode by contact with corrosive gases. These gases
(COS, H2S, HCl, and SO2) are formed from burning fossil fuels and wood, from
decaying vegetation, and from ocean surfaces. These gases are present in the
environment around us. An audit at one semi-conductor manufacturing facility
showed that there were concentrations of dangerous corrosive gases within
the clean room facility.

Ferrous metals corrode, or rust, by reaction with corrosive gases as well as
by galvanic corrosion. Intercept acts as a sacrificial anode, similar to
placing a piece of Zinc into a water heater to keep it from corroding.
Intercept interrupts the galvanic current and sacrifices itself. Only
Intercept combines protection for ferrous and non-ferrous metals.



Developed by AT&T Bell Labs.

Bell Labs concluded that corrosion damage, and not just ESD, can cause
latent defects. When electronic leads and traces corrode, they form
insulative metal salts or oxides. These insulative metal oxides reduce the
mass of the conductor that decreases the amount of electron flow that can be
carried by that trace or lead. As the circuit approaches its rated current,
the electron flow across the now narrower lead or trace can generate
excessive amounts of damaging heat. This overheats the part, resulting in
what looks like an ESD event, but in reality was corrosion induced. Careful
SEM analysis of failed parts can verify this corrosion damage.

Bell Labs found that Copper Bus bars, which are processed and cleaned at an
outside company and shipped to Lucent, reach an unacceptably high junction
resistance within 7 days of manufacture, due to surface corrosion. All bars
have to be hand cleaned and buffed prior to being assembled into their final
application. By using  Intercept this problem was eliminated. Whether a part
is moving inside or outside of the manufacturing facility, it is being
attacked by corrosive gases. Using  Intercept keeps these corrosive gases
away from the sensitive parts.



How does it work?

Catastrophic corrosion damage scenarios occur when sensitive objects are
placed into storage or when they are transported across the country or
ocean. Corrosive gases are present everywhere and can easily invade a
product and begin to degrade it. Shipping across or storing near the ocean
is extremely dangerous to corrosion objects because the ocean environment is
so highly corrosive due to the abundance of HCl and COS gases. These gases
easily pass through normal plastics and containers and attack sensitive
components. By using  Intercept the gases are kept away from these sensitive
objects.

Intercept contains a torturous path for corrosive gases to follow as they
try to penetrate the bag, tote, or cushioning material wrap. It is
statistically improbable that a corrosive gas could migrate through the
plastic without quickly contacting an active corrosion protection component.
Once the corrosive gas contacts an active component a chemical reaction
occurs which permanently neutralizes the gas. Unlike charcoal paper that
only traps corrosive gases (charcoal paper will release these gases in a
highly concentrated form if the temperature increases)  Intercept reacts
with the corrosive gases in an irreversible chemical reaction. A chemical
reaction that cannot adversely affect the item being protected.

Under normal conditions, no corrosive gas will pass through the protective
Intercept plastic. In addition, the air inside of an Intercept bag, tote, or
cushioning material wrap is cleansed. Corrosive gases trapped inside the
package see almost 3 times the affinity for a corrosion reaction to take
place on the surface of the bag versus on the surface of the part being
protected. Because of this characteristic, the gases will preferentially
corrode the bag, instead of the part. This scavenging nature of the
Intercept plastic is another reason why items remain safely protected inside
a loosely closed bag or a cushion material wrap.

Environmental Issues

Intercept can be easily recycled in the standard Polyethylene recycle
stream. However, if the plastic is thrown away, it will have a substantially
reduced landfill time. Typical biodegradable plastics use up to 15% corn
starch additive. When these so called "Green" bags are disposed of, the corn
starch filler in the bag is attacked by microbes that consume the starch
making the bag fall apart, or producing what is commonly referred to as
polymer dust. An important note is that the microbes that eat the corn
starch need oxygen to survive. Landfills are anaerobic, so there is no
oxygen present. Intercept does not need an aerobic environment to break
down. Extremely high levels of corrosive gases are present in landfills.
These gases react with and completely overwhelm the  Intercept product. The
product is forced to completely react with the gases, weakening the chemical
bonds previously formed. This causes the bag to literally fall apart and
become polymer dust. Using Intercept helps protect our fragile environment
by providing shortened landfill times.

Intercept is a unique technology. Materials made with the Intercept
technology effectively protect parts from harmful corrosive gasesas well as
safely protecting static sensitive parts from the devastating effects of ESD
events , all within an environmentally friendly framework.



Please let me know if you would like some more information on this
technology, its
applications and where to get it.

Regards,

Tony Martin
Intercept Corrosion Control (ICC)
Phone: 61-8-92044922 Fax: 61-8-92044933
tony@interceptaustralia.com