{"id":52830,"date":"2026-04-24T17:57:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T21:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/chembe\/?post_type=news&p=52830"},"modified":"2026-04-24T17:57:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T21:57:27","slug":"aircraft-corrosion","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/chembe\/news\/aircraft-corrosion\/","title":{"rendered":"Flight\u2011Safe Finish: A Safer Shield Against Aircraft Corrosion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aluminum alloys keep airplanes flying, but when they corrode, the consequences are costly and dangerous. To tackle the concern, a team of Johns Hopkins\u00a0<\/span>chemical and biomolecular engineering<\/span><\/a>\u00a0students has developed Ze[r]ossion\u2014an advanced, environmentally safer coating that promises to extend the life of aerospace aluminum while\u00a0eliminating\u00a0the toxic chemicals commonly used today.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The students will present their prototype on\u00a0April 28 at\u00a0the Whiting School of Engineering\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Design Day<\/span><\/a>, an annual event showcasing students\u2019 solutions to real-world problems.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOriginally, the idea grew out of concerns about bridge corrosion, as one of our teammates is interested in civil engineering, but as we worked through the course we realized aerospace presented a very specific need,\u201d says Lavanya Gupta. \u201cThe environmental and worker safety problems with current corrosion inhibitors made it clear that this application deserved attention, so we pivoted. The underlying science is the same, and that\u2019s exciting because Ze[r]ossion could be adapted to many industries.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Corrosion of aluminum alloys poses\u00a0serious safety risks. Current state<\/span>\u2011<\/span>of<\/span>\u2011<\/span>the<\/span>\u2011<\/span>market chromate coatings are effective but contain highly carcinogenic compounds, creating regulatory and occupational health pressures to find alternatives. Ze[r]ossion addresses this gap by using zeolites loaded with molybdate ions that are released at active corrosion sites on the metal surface.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur product is a powder of\u00a0molybdate<\/span>\u2011<\/span>loaded\u00a0zeolite that can be incorporated into existing coating workflows for aluminum alloys,\u201d says Rebecca Kottke. \u201cThe zeolite acts like a reservoir\u2014when corrosion starts, molybdate ions are delivered to neutralize it. In tests, this controlled release doubles the effective lifespan of the coating while removing the toxicity concerns associated with chromates.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The team\u2019s manufacturing approach\u00a0has been designed to be compatible with\u00a0current industrial processes. They load commercial zeolite with molybdate through an ion<\/span>\u2011<\/span>exchange procedure to reach a target concentration, producing Ze[r]ossion\u00a0in a form that can be mixed into coatings.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the\u00a0hands-on\u00a0parts of the project was optimizing the\u00a0ion exchange\u00a0so we could reliably reach the desired loading,\u201d\u00a0says Jackson Webster.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a scalable process, and because Ze[r]ossion\u00a0is a powder, it can slot into existing manufacturing lines without major retraining or capital investment.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The team\u00a0says\u00a0that Ze[r]ossion\u00a0stands out for both safety and performance. Chromates, long used because of their durability, are classified as carcinogens and pose high risks to workers and the environment. Ze[r]ossion\u00a0replaces those compounds with molybdate<\/span>\u2011<\/span>based chemistry that\u00a0eliminates\u00a0the same toxicity while improving longevity through controlled ion delivery.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRegulatory pressure is pushing industry away from chromates, but many alternatives trade performance for safety,\u201d says Victor Wu. \u201cWe believe Ze[r]ossion\u00a0offers the best of both worlds\u2014it\u2019s safer for people and the planet, and it provides better protection for the aircraft.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the students will\u00a0take\u00a0different paths after graduation, they are optimistic about the project\u2019s future impact.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe won\u2019t be continuing Ze[r]ossion\u00a0as a team, but we hope established companies in aerospace pick up and advance this approach,\u201d says\u00a0Gupta. \u201cSeeing safer, more sustainable coatings become standard would be a meaningful outcome for all of us.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-52830","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_categories-students","news_categories-undergraduate"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFlight\u2011Safe Finish: A Safer Shield Against Aircraft Corrosion - Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/chembe\/news\/aircraft-corrosion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Flight\u2011Safe Finish: A Safer Shield Against Aircraft Corrosion - Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Aluminum alloys keep airplanes flying, but when they corrode, the consequences are costly and dangerous. 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