Corrosion behavior of Limnoperna fortunei on carbon steel in freshwater environments

Liu, Yuhan; He, Xiaoyan; Yang, Ying; Yuan, Xianfu; Zhou, Ziquan; Bai, Xiuqin; Yuan, Chengqing

doi:10.1038/s41529-025-00618-2

Corrosion behavior of Limnoperna fortunei on carbon steel in freshwater environments

Liu, Yuhan; He, Xiaoyan; Yang, Ying; Yuan, Xianfu; Zhou, Ziquan; Bai, Xiuqin; Yuan, Chengqing

Authors

Yuhan Liu

Xiaoyan He

Ying Yang y.yang@keele.ac.uk

Xianfu Yuan

Ziquan Zhou

Xiuqin Bai

Chengqing Yuan

Abstract

Limnoperna fortunei (L. fortunei), a representative macrofouling organism in freshwater environments, causes significant degradation to the surfaces of hydraulic engineering materials through prolonged adhesion. The corrosion behavior of L. fortunei on Q345 carbon steel in river water environments was investigated employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, mass loss rate analysis, electrochemical measurements, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, etc. The results demonstrated that the attachment of mussels decreased the overall corrosion rate of the steel surface, but significantly aggravated pitting corrosion, a highly destructive localized degradation. The corrosion behavior was primarily driven by a restricted microenvironment beneath the mussel shells, promoting localized anion enrichment, bacterial colonization, and the accumulation of aggressive secretions. These factors collectively intensified electrochemical heterogeneity, accelerating pitting initiation and propagation. The findings emphasize the urgent need for strategies to mitigate biofouling-induced localized corrosion in hydraulic engineering.

Citation

Liu, Y., He, X., Yang, Y., Yuan, X., Zhou, Z., Bai, X., & Yuan, C. (2025). Corrosion behavior of Limnoperna fortunei on carbon steel in freshwater environments. npj Materials Degradation, 9(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-025-00618-2

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	May 31, 2025
Online Publication Date	Jun 14, 2025
Publication Date	Jun 14, 2025
Deposit Date	Jun 25, 2025
Publicly Available Date	Jun 25, 2025
Journal	npj Materials Degradation
Electronic ISSN	2397-2106
Publisher	Nature Research
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	9
Issue	1
Article Number	69
Pages	1-14
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-025-00618-2
Public URL	https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/1280783

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