Existing corrosion protection technologies for aluminium alloys utilising chromates are environmentally damaging and extremely toxic. This paper presents a preliminary investigation into rare earth diphenyl phosphates as new environmentally benign corrosion inhibitors. Full immersion weight loss experiments, cyclic potentiodynamic polarisation measurements and Raman spectroscopy were used in this study. Results show cerium diphenyl phosphate (Ce(dpp)(3)) acts as a cathodic inhibitor, decreasing cathodic current density and E-corr by passivating cathodic intermetallic particles on the alloy surface. Mischmetal diphenyl phosphate (Mm(dpp)(3)) acts a mixed inhibitor, shifting E-corr to more noble values, decreasing cathodic current density, increasing the breakdown potential and suppressing pitting. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.