Study on pitting process of 316L stainless steel by means of staircase potential electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Abstract

Pitting corrosion of 316L stainless steel in NaCl solution was investigated by means of staircase potential electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (SPEIS). The investigation focused on the transition of stainless steel from the passive state to pitting corrosion. Based on the evolution of electrical parameters of the equivalent electrical circuit, it is suggested that the most probable mechanism of pit creation is the film breaking model. The result demonstrates that staircase potential electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is an effective method for the investigation of pitting corrosion.

Keywords

stainless steel / passivation / film / steel corrosion / pitting / electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

References

[1] Krakowiak S., Darowicki K., Slepski P. Impedance investigation of passive 304 stainless in pit pre-initiation state. Electrochim. Acta, 2005, 50(13): 2699.

[2] Darowicki K., Krakowiak S., Ślepski P. Evaluation of pitting corrosion by means of dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Electrochim. Acta, 2004, 49(17–18): 2909.

[3] Amin M.A., Rehin S.S. A. E., Sherbini E.E.F. AC and DC studies of the pitting corrosion of Al in perchlorate solutions. Electrochim. Acta, 2006, 51(22): 4754.

[4] Polo J.L., Cano E., Bastidas J.M. An impedance study on the influence of molybdenum in stainless steel pitting corrosion. J. Electroanal. Chem., 2002, 537(1–2): 183.

[5] Kocijan A., Donik Jenko M. Electrochemical and XPS studies of the passive film formed on stainless steels in borate buffer and chloride solutions. Corros. Sci., 2007, 49(5): 2083.

[6] Tang Y.M., Zuo Y., Zhao X.H. The metastable pitting behaviors of mild steel in bicarbonate and nitrite solutions containing Cl⁻. Corros. Sci., 2008, 50(4): 989.

[7] Bastidas J.M., Polo J.L., Torres C.L., et al. Study on the stability of AISI 316L stainless steel pitting corrosion through its transfer function. Corros. Sci., 2001, 43(2): 269.

[8] Garcia C., Martin F., de Tiedra P., et al. Pitting corrosion of welded joints of austenitic stainless steels studied by using an electrochemical minicell. Corros. Sci., 2008, 50(4): 1184.

[9] Vignal V., Krawiec H., Heintz O., et al. The use of local electrochemical probes and surface analysis methods to study the electrochemical behaviour and pitting corrosion of stainless steels. Electrochim. Acta, 2007, 52(15): 4994.

[10] Cachet H., El Moustafid T., Herbert-Guillou D., et al. Influence of the temperature of film formation on the electronic structure of oxide films formed on 304 stainless steels. Electrochim. Acta, 2001, 46(24–25): 3767.

[11] Lin C., Li X.G., Dong C.F. Pitting and galvanic corrosion behavior of stainless steel with weld in wet-dry environment containing Cl⁻. J. Univ, Sci. Technol. Beijing, 2007, 14(6): 517.

[12] Peguet L., Malki B., Baroux B. Influence of cold working on the pitting corrosion resistance of stainless steels. Corros. Sci., 2007, 49(4): 1933.

[13] Li H.B., Jiang Z.H., Yang Y., et al. Pitting corrosion and crevice corrosion behaviors of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel. Inter. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 2009, 16(5): 517.

[14] Peguet L., Malki B., Baroux B. Effect of austenite stability on the pitting corrosion resistance of cold worked stainless steels. Corros. Sci., 2009, 51(3): 493.

[15] Liu Y., Meng G.Z., Cheng Y.F. Electronic structure and pitting behavior of 3003 aluminum alloy passivated under various conditions. Electrochim. Acta, 2009, 54(17): 4155.