Which of the following is not a corrosion prevention method?

• A. Barrier coatings
• B. Sacrificial protection
• C. Increasing the rate of corrosion
• D. Inhibitors

Answer: (C)

Preventing corrosion relies on keeping the metal away from the corrosive environment or slowing down the electrochemical reactions that cause damage. Barrier coatings create a physical barrier, like paint or plastic, that blocks water and oxygen from reaching the metal surface. Sacrificial protection uses a more reactive metal, such as zinc on steel, which corrodes instead of the protected metal, so the base metal stays safer even if a coating is damaged. Inhibitors are chemicals added to the environment that slow the corrosion reactions, for example by forming protective films or neutralizing aggressive ions. Increasing the rate of corrosion, on the other hand, would accelerate metal loss and is not a method to prevent corrosion.