Container-content compatibility

CONTAINER-CONTENT COMPATIBILITY


Corrosion and electrochemistry

Check compatibility before market launch

The product, the metal and any internal coating interact throughout the life of the packaging.

LEREM studies the container-content system to identify corrosion risks, compare the available solutions and verify that the packaging will retain its properties under the intended conditions. The protocol is defined around your product, your container and the decision you need to make.


Designing the study

Questions we help you answer

Depending on your needs, we combine electrochemical measurements, observations and storage tests.

Technicien du LEREM réalisant un contrôle sur un contenant métallique

01 / SUITABILITY

Check container suitability

Amperometry can be used to determine whether steel, blackplate or tinplate packaging is suitable for the formulation under study.

Inspection à la loupe d’un revêtement intérieur métallique au laboratoire LEREM

02 / PROTECTION

Compare protective coatings

Impedance measurements compare several coatings and monitor how they change in contact with the product, including when new solutions are being selected.

Courbe de Nyquist issue d’une mesure d’impédance électrochimique au LEREM

03 / DECISION

Choose the most suitable solution

The results are used to compare formulations or inhibitors and to investigate the cause of corrosion or loss of performance.


Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Detect changes before they become visible

LEREM has used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy since the early 1990s. A very low-amplitude alternating signal is applied to the system formed by the metal, coating and product.

The measurement does not damage the sample. It can therefore be repeated throughout the study to monitor protection and detect a drift before corrosion or blistering becomes visible.

In practice: EIS helps select the solutions to retain for storage tests and avoids unnecessarily extending the study of systems that are already unstable.
Dispositif d’analyse électrochimique et suivi des mesures au laboratoire LEREM

Using the measurements

Compare solutions using practical criteria

Interpreting the curves helps monitor protection and identify systems that are changing unfavourably.

01Monitor the protection

Coating resistance and capacitance are measured at several stages to track their evolution.

02Compare the systems

Nyquist and Bode plots highlight differences between coatings, formulations or batches.

03Focus long-term testing

Unstable solutions are identified earlier so that storage work can focus on the systems that need confirmation.


Contenants placés dans un bain thermostaté lors d’un essai de longue durée au LEREM

Long-term validation

Confirm performance over time

Electrochemical measurements make it possible to compare solutions and quickly identify changes. Storage tests complement this initial assessment by checking the packaging’s actual behaviour over time.

The duration, temperature and inspections are defined according to the product and its conditions of use. Measurements are then correlated with observations made on the containers.

0 to 50°C: storage under controlled temperature
Up to three years: long-term studies as required
Documented monitoring: sample identification and inspection

Appareil d’acquisition utilisé pour suivre et interpréter un essai au laboratoire LEREM

A decision-ready conclusion

Interpret the results to make the right choice

LEREM correlates the measurements with observations made on specimens and containers. The analysis considers the product, metal, coating and conditions of use to compare solutions and identify points requiring attention before industrialisation.

Select a protective coating
Validate a new formulation
Assess the introduction of recycled materials
Compare batches, suppliers or production sites
Support an R&D project or investigate the cause of a defect

Minimum conductivityThe formulation must allow the electrical signal to pass.

Liquid interface under studyEIS does not characterise the packaging headspace.

Expert interpretationVariability in the substrate, including recycled material, is included in the analysis.


Further reading on compatibility and corrosion

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

General information on impedancemetry

Do you need to validate a container-content system?

Tell us about the product, packaging and known constraints. LEREM’s team will work with you to define the relevant tests and a protocol suited to your decision.

Parc Industriel Européen

Les Marches de l’Oise

100 rue Louis Blanc

60160 Montataire

France