The following is an excerpt from the
Technical Review of RustBustR(tm)
prepared for
Oklahoma Investor’s Assistance Service
by
Allen W. Apblett, Ph.D.
May 21, 2001
“The
RustBustR is simple in design and consists of a zinc
containing alloy with a magnet embedded within it. The product is designed to
be attached via an electrically conductive adhesive to the surface of a
metallic object (e.g. and automobile) that is to be protected from corroding.
The scientific basis for the corrosion protection is well established: placing
two dissimilar metals in contact with each other creates a galvanic cell,
essentially a battery in which the material with the lower reduction potential
(E˚) becomes the anode and the other
material becomes the cathode. In this case, zinc (at E˚-0.76V) will be the
anode and iron (E˚=-0.44V) in a ferrous metal will be the cathode.
Overall, for such a cell, the electromotive force is merely 0.33V under
standard conditions. However, in many technical applications, this has been proved
to be sufficient for remarkable corrosion protection and it is common practice
to use zinc as a sacrificial anode for protection of ferrous materials. The
prevention of corrosion stems from the fact that the rusting process is an
oxidation reaction in which oxygen gas accepts electrons from the metal to form
an oxide. In a galvanic cell, it is the anode that has the surplus of electrons
rather than the cathode, and so, the corrosion occurs at the anode. Thus, the
zinc of the RustBustR will preferentially be oxidized
to zinc oxide thus retarding the rusting of the metal part to which it is
attached.
In conclusion, the RustBustR
will provide measurable protection from rusting.”