A review of passivity breakdown on metal surfaces: influence of chloride- and sulfide-ion concentrations, temperature, and pH

Metals, including austenitic steels and alloys, have been extensively applied in industrial and engineering applications. Passive films on metal surfaces are very important for corrosion protection. However, localized attack, such as passive film breakdown and the initiation of pits, is found upon exposure of such metals to aggressive ion-containing environments, leading to material failure and prominent adverse economic and safety concerns. For several decades, the mechanism of passivity breakdown and pit nucleation during pitting corrosion has been widely studied. The present article provides a detailed review of passive film breakdown on metal surfaces and the effects of complicated conditions, such as chloride- and sulfide-ion concentrations, temperature, and solution pH, on passivity breakdown. The possible mechanism for passivity breakdown is reviewed and discussed. The composition, structure, and electronic properties of passive layers are of conclusive importance to understand the leading corrosion mechanism, and they have been investigated with different techniques. Furthermore, we aim to present the structure, chemical composition, and electronic properties of passive films on metal surfaces by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Additionally, the surface morphology of passive films is analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Finally, the effect of chloride- and sulfide-ion concentrations, pH, and temperature on passivity breakdown is discussed in detail.

Study on Breakdown Features and Characteristics of Film at the Corrugated Plate Corner

Corrugated plate dryer is a extremely vital equipment for steam-water separation in the fields of heat transfer and nuclear engineering. The corrugated plate is also a commonly used steam-water separator in steam generators in nuclear power plants. It is meaningful to study the breakdown characteristics and mechanism of the water film on corrugated plate wall. Water film thickness of steady flow is measured based on plane laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique and time series and its fitted equation of water film thickness are obtained, respectively. Besides, fluctuation characteristics of water film are analyzed by probability density function (PDF). Based on the dimensionless approach, the water film breakdown model at the corner of the corrugated plate is established. And the calculation equation of the relative position of the water film breakdown at the corner is deprived. The specific conclusions are as follows. The theoretical equation agrees well with the relative position of the water film breakdown at the corrugated plate corner. The evolution of the surface wave of water film is carried out in time and space. The PDF curve have no significant peak characteristics. Therefore, the spectrum has no characteristic frequency, that is, the water film has multi-frequency characteristics. Gravity of water film can be ignored in the water film model. The thickness sequences for falling film is measured and fitted. The two-dimensional model of water film breakdown at the corner is set up. The equation for the film thickness when the water film is just ruptured is obtained. Relative position of the water film rupture at the corner of the corrugated plate is theoretically related only to the structural parameters of the corrugated plate, the parameters of the gas phase and the liquid phase, and the Reynolds number of the liquid film. However, in the low Reynolds number region, the airflow velocity is extremely large, which causes certain fluctuations and nonlinear characteristics of the water film boundary position. Therefore, the theoretical formula is not particularly good at predicting the relative position of the breakdown in this region. I think that this nonlinear feature has obvious chaotic characteristics. The study of the chaotic characteristics generated by shearing the liquid film by high velocity flow airflow at the corner of the corrugated plate may become a prospect for future research.