Replacing Electropolished Stainless Steel Tubing with a Silicon-Based CVD Coated Steel Tube for Higher Inertness, Faster Dry Down, and Greater Corrosion Resistance for Gas and Fluid Transfer

Lead times and cost for electropolished tubing rose rapidly during the later part of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were two key drivers for these increases. First, many supply chains broke down and it became very difficult to purchase any stainless steel tubing, let alone high quality electropolished tubes. Second, the large domestic growth in the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries placed a strain on an already stressed market due to their high demand for such tubing. This led to many organizations to reconsider their need for electropolished tubing and look toward alternative technologies. This was to both solve the immediate crisis as well as sure up supply chains for future emergencies. Here we show that for gas and liquid transfer systems a silicon-based CVD coating on non-electropolished tubing can offer improved inertness, reduced dry down times, and improved corrosion resistance without the need for electropolished surfaces.