Using silane films to produce an alternative for chromate conversion coatings

Abstract

Recently, many efforts have been made to find environmentally friendly substitutes for carcinogen Cr⁶⁺ in the pretreatments of metal substrates. Silane films are one of the important candidates for this purpose. The use of silane films on metallic substrates provides corrosion protection as a result of excellent adhesion and good barrier properties. Their corrosion protection can be improved by adding suitable dopants. There are various methods for applying these films on the metal substrates (sol-gel dip coatings and electrodeposited coating). In this review, several main researches in the field of silane films have been indicated and their results have been analyzed.