An Inhibitive Effect of Aeration on the Pitting Corrosion of Steels in Ethanolic Environments

This work is aimed at improving the understanding of the localized corrosion of carbon steel in ethanolic solutions. The role of ethanol dehydration, chloride, and oxygen level in the pitting behaviour of carbon steel in ethanolic environments in the presence of supporting electrolytes was investigated. Open Circuit Potential measurement, Cyclic Potentiodynamic Polarization and Potentiostatic testing were conducted on specimens exposed to ethanolic environments prepared from pure dehydrated ethanol to study the pitting behaviour of carbon steel. Corrosion and passivation potentials significantly reduce due to the change in the cathodic reaction and the decrease in passivation kinetics under de-aerated conditions. SEM and EDX examination indicated that no pitting corrosion is observed without chlorides, and chloride significantly destabilizes the surface film resulting in decreases of both corrosion potential and passivation potential. A decrease in the dissolved oxygen in the solution reduces but does not eliminate the pitting susceptibility. Iron oxide is identified as the significant corrosion product at different water and oxygen content. Therefore, ethanol aeration can be a proper method to increase pitting corrosion resistance in ethanolic solutions.

Corrosion Behavior of Fe-Ni-Al Alloy Inert Anode in Cryolite Melts

Fe-Ni-based alloys are promising materials of inert anodes for use in aluminum electrolysis and adding Al can further improve the corrosion resistance. Fe-Ni-Al alloys with 1.4–8.6 wt.% Al were prepared by vacuum melting, and their corrosion as anodes during the production of pure Al (98.14–99.68%) by electrolysis was studied in a melt of NaF-AlF3-NaCl-CaF2-Al2O3 at 850 °C. The corrosion layer on the anode contains fluorine salt that corrodes the oxide film, and the inner layer is Ni-enriched while the outer layer is enriched with Fe and O due to the preferential oxidation of Fe. The electrolytically deposited oxide films on Fe-Ni-Al alloys with different compositions contains Fe2O3, Fe3O4, NiO, Al2O3, FeAl2O4, NiFe2O4, and other protective oxides, making the alloys very corrosion-resistant. The linear voltammetric curves can be divided into three parts: active dissolution, passivation transition, and over-passivation zones. The alloy with 3.9 wt.% Al (57.9Fe-38.2Ni-3.9Al) has a relatively negative passivation potential, and therefore, is easier to become passivated. According to the Tafel curve, this alloy shows a relatively positive corrosion potential as anode (1.20 V vs. Al/AlF3), and thus can form a protective film.

Effect of Phosphorus on the Corrosion Resistance of Nickel Electrocoatings

The electrodeposited Ni-P coatings are commonly used for their electrocatalytic properties towards hydrogen evolution reaction. However, their corrosion resistance in concentrated alkaline solutions is still less known. In this work, the effect of phosphorus on the resistance of nickel electrodeposits to electrochemical corrosion in 5 M KOH solution, was studied. Open circuit potential and anodic polarization measurements were performed to determine parameters of the corrosion resistance of the crystalline Ni deposit and amorphous Ni-P electrocoating. It was found that alloying of nickel with phosphorus is the effective manner of the improvement of the corrosion resistance of the nickel coatings. The obtained Ni-P electrode material contained 10 wt.% of P and revealed amorphous structure. The increase in the corrosion resistance of the Ni90P10system as compared to that determined for comparable Ni polycrystalline electrode was due to phosphate formation responsible for broad passivation potential in alkaline medium and amorphous structure.

The Effect of Grain Size and Cl-Concentration on the Passive Behavior of Cu in Borate Buffer Solution

Effect of grain size and Cl-concentration on corrosion behavior of Cu was investigated by using a series of electrochemical analysis in borate buffer solution (pH=8.40).The results indicated that in all cases, the Mott-Schottky plots of the passive films on the surface of Cu were linear with negative slop, and showed behavior of the p-type semiconductor.With the decrease of the grain size and the increase of anode passivation potential, the acceptor density (NA) of the passivation film on the surface of Cu was reducing. As the concentration of Cl-in the medium solution was heightening, the acceptor density (NA) of the passivation film on the surface of Cu was increasing.

Comparative Evaluation of 316L and N-Bearing Ni-Free Austenitic Stainless Steel as a Potential Cost-Effective Replacement for Body Implants

Currently austenitic stainless steels, cobalt-chromium alloys and titanium alloys are used in body implants. As per ISO 5832-1, Cr-Ni-Mo alloy 316L with minimum 13% nickel is widely used for body implants. ASTM standard F 2229-07 also permits nitrogen strengthened essentially Ni-free Cr-Mn-Mo alloy (UNS S 29108) for this purpose. Nitrogen as austenite stabilizer is able to substitute nickel. It serves the dual purpose of increasing the strength as well as pitting corrosion resistance. This paper compares the corrosion behaviour of these two grades. Cyclic potentiodynamic tests were carried as per ASTM F2129 in Simulated Body Fluids (SBFs) like Ringers, Hanks and Phosphaste Buffer Saline solution at 37 °C, which corresponds to the human body temperature. The pitting potential was significantly higher for Ni free grade S29108 as compared to 316L. In addition, re-passivation potential of the S 29108 was also far superior than 316L. The reverse scan indicated that the breakdown of the passive film was not reached in S 29108, whereas a hysteresis loop was observed in 316L. The strength of annealed S 29108 is far superior and meets the property requirement of ISO 5832-1 for 316L under cold rolled conditions. Thus this alloy could replace annealed as well as cold rolled 316L as per ISO 5832-1. This promising alloy has an added advantage of being significantly cheaper as compared to 316L and other Ti, Co based alloys to enable cost effective medical care to common man. Keywords: High nitrogen stainless steel, 316L, Bio-Implants, Potentio-dynamic tests.