The formation of a rust layer on iron and steels surfaces accelerates their degradation and eventually causes material failure. In addition to fabricating a protective layer or using a sacrificial anode, repairing or removing the rust layer is another way to reduce the corrosion rate and extend the lifespans of iron and steels. Herein, an electrochemical healing approach was employed to repair the rust layer in molten Na₂CO₃-K₂CO₃. The rusty layers on iron rods and screws were electrochemically converted to iron in only several minutes and a metallic luster appeared. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyses showed that the structures of the rust layer after healing were slightly porous and the oxygen content reached a very low level. Thus, high-temperature molten-salt electrolysis may be an effective way to metalize iron rust of various shapes and structures in a short time, and could be used in the repair of cultural relics and even preparing a three-dimensional porous structures for other applications.

在钢铁表面形成锈层会加速其降解，并最终导致材料损坏。除了制造保护层或使用牺牲阳极外，修复或去除锈层是降低腐蚀速率并延长钢铁寿命的另一种方法。在本文中，采用电化学修复方法修复熔融的Na ₂ CO ₃ -K ₂ CO _3中的锈层。。铁棒和螺丝上的生锈层仅在几分钟内就被电化学转化为铁，并出现金属光泽。扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和能量色散X射线能谱（EDS）分析表明，修复后的锈层结构略微多孔并且氧含量达到非常低的水平。因此，高温熔融盐电解可能是一种在短时间内使各种形状和结构的铁锈金属化的有效方法，并且可以用于文物的修复，甚至可以制备用于其他应用的三维多孔结构。