An microcell that permits electrochemical investigations on small areas on top of a metallic surface has
been developed and its use is demonstrated by characterizing the corrosion behaviour of stainless steels.
The area covered is as small as 0.2 mm². Techniques that are applied include standard direct current
(DC) techniques like anodic polarization scans as well as impedance and electrochemical noise analyses.
These techniques permit to differentiate between different states of passivation. By the use of the
Electrochemical Reactivation (EPR) tests the detection of sensitization and chromium depleted zones
could be shown. In this type of measurement the sensitivity of the test is improved due to a higher ratio
of depleted to non depleted areas when the total area of the measuring spot is reduced to such small size.