ABSTRACT
System approach interface engineering (SAIE) is tailoring of interfaces to fit the requirements for the multilayer system to accomplish the objectives. A coated metal is an example of the system that is designed to protect the metal from the corrosion. The objective of the system is protection of the metal, and the coated metal is the total system. Although it could be conceived as a simple metal coated with a paint, i.e., two phases of metal and a coating, such a simple system actually involves many important interfaces if one looks at such a simple system from the view point of how the surface state of the two bulk phase changes at the transitional zones of each material. SAIE could be explained by examples of corrosion protection of aluminum alloys by applying a protective coating [1-4]. Figure 28.1 depicts the interface between a coating and a metal substrate, in which the modification of oxides, application of an ultrathin layer of plasma polymerization coating, and application of a 10-to 30-mm thick primer layer are involved. With consideration of the boundary of oxides and the metal bulk phase, which is not indicated in the figure, there exist 10 interfaces and boundaries to be considered.
