Passivation

Passivation is the process of making a material "passive" in relation to another material prior to using the materials together. For example, prior to storing hydrogen peroxide in an aluminum container, one method to passivate the container is to rinse it with a dilute solution of nitric acid and peroxide alternating with deionized water. The nitric acid and peroxide will oxidize and dissolve any impurities on the inner surface of the container, and the deionized water will rinse away the acid and oxidized impurities.