Professor Stuart Lyon

I was born in Paisley, Scotland and spent my formative years in the West of Scotland in the village of Cardross (famous as the Parish of Robert the Bruce). In 1976 gained a place at Trinity College, Cambridge where I studied Metallurgy graduating in 1979. I then stayed on undertaking research in solid-state electrochemistry (or perhaps to enjoy a good pint of Abbot Ale) graduating with a PhD in 1983. Since metallurgy plus electrochemistry equals corrosion, later that year I found myself in Manchester at the Corrosion and Protection Centre (CPC), then part of UMIST, where I remain, currently as Reader. My research interests are quite varied and cover:

• Solid-state transport in materials, including ionic, electronic and mass transport in polymers and polymeric coatings, solid oxides and other solid ionic conductors,
• Surface engineering: relationship between local and bulk physical properties of coatings, chemistry of the coating-substrate interface and interphase regions, barrier properties, meaningful degradation of protective coatings
• Surface science: surface functionalisation and surface chemistry for adhesion, local chemical and physical properties, and structure of organic protective coatings
• Electrochemical methods: spatially resolved electrochemistry and electrochemical impedance, electrochemical processes in thin condensates, corrosion inhibition, electrochemical modeling.

I am actively involved in subject-specific Professional Institutes and am currently the President of the Institute of Corrosion and Secretary to the European Federation of Corrosion UK Coordination Committee.

• Corrosion inhibition using novel organic inhibitors
• Electrochemistry of selenium and the surface chemistry of ZnSe
• Inhibition of mild steel corrosion in CO2-containing solutions - effect of acetate
• Multi-analytical methods for studying corrosion inhibition in organic coatings
• Holistic methods for chromate inhibitor replacement
• Optimisation of corrosion performance of thermal sprayed coatings
• Reliable conservation and storage of ferrous archaeological artefacts
• Public understanding of corrosion science and engineering

• J-P Cai, SB Lyon, "A mechanistic study of initial atmospheric corrosion kinetics using electrical resistance sensors", Corrosion Science - Anniversary Issue (in press)
• SB Lyon, "A natural way to stop corrosion", Nature, 427, 406-407 (2004)
• LVS Philippe, SB Lyon, GW Walter, "Comparison of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with local electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for investigating localised degradation in organic coatings", Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 150, B111-119 (2003)
• D Ghidaoui, SB Lyon, GE Thompson, J Walton, "Oxide formation on etched GaAs", Corrosion Science, 44, 501-509 (2002)
• IM Zin, VI Pokhmurskyi, JD Scantlebury, SB Lyon, "Model electrochemical cell study of cut edge corrosion inhibition on coil-coated steel sheet by chromate, phosphate and calcium containing pigments", Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 148, B293-B298 (2001)
• HW Wang, MM Stack, SB Lyon, P Hovsepian, WD Munz "The corrosion behaviour of macroparticle defects in arc-bond sputtered CrN/NbN superlattice coatings", Surface and Coatings Technology, 126, 279-287 (2000)