Corrosion behaviour of amorphous Fe-Cr-Ni-(Si,P) alloys

The passive layers formed spontaneously via air contact on the surface of amorphous Fe62 Cr10 Ni8 X20 (X = Si,P) alloys were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The results for Fe62 Cr10 Ni8 Si20 showed the formation of a protective film, mainly consisting of oxidized chromium, that greatly enhanced the corrosion resistance of this alloy, whereas in Fe62 Cr10 Ni8 P20 the film was less corrosion resistant. To evaluate the influence of the passive layer composition on the corrosion resistance, standard electrochemical measurements on both alloys in 0.01 M HCl solution were performed. The study reveals that the best corrosion behaviour is given by the Si containing amorphous alloy confirming XPS and AES results. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.Peer Reviewe