Single Crystal and Sintered Alumina Corrosion in Liquid Sodium

See also : HTCPM 2016 - 9th International Symposium on High-Temperature Corrosion and Protection of Materials15 to 2016-05-20, Les Embiez, FranceInternational audienceCorrosion tests were conducted under static conditions at 450 and 550 DC for various oxygen contents and durations with single crystal and sintered alumina regarded as model materials for ceramics. Extremely pure and dense sintered alumina exhibited no intergranular corrosion and identical behavior as single crystal. Corrosion appeared to proceed by reaction of Al$_2$O$_3$ with dissolved oxygen (Na$_2$O) to form sodium aluminate (NaAlO$_2$). Then, sodium aluminate was dissolved in liquid sodium by a mechanism that is still to be elucidated. The corrosion morphology was equivalent to dissolution. From weight loss measurement, linear kinetics were found with a constant dissolution rate of (61 ± 2)10$^{−4}$mg dm$^{−2}$ h$^{−1}$ at 550 DC and low oxygen content (