Influence of microstructure on the corrosion resistance of Fe–44Ni thin films

Abstract

An Fe–44Ni nanocrystalline (NC) alloy thin film was prepared through electrodeposition. The relation between the microstructure and corrosion behavior of the NC film was investigated using electrochemical methods and chemical analysis approaches. The results show that the NC film is composed of a face-centered cubic phase (γ-(Fe,Ni)) and a body-centered cubic phase (α-(Fe,Ni)) when it is annealed at temperatures less than 400°C. The corrosion resistance increases with the increase in grain size, and the corresponding corrosion process is controlled by oxygen reduction. The NC films annealed at 500°C and 600°C do not exhibit the same pattern, although their grain sizes are considerably large. This result is attributed to the existence of an anodic phase, Fe_0.947Ni_0.054, in these films. Under this condition, the related corrosion process is synthetically controlled by anodic dissolution and depolarization.

Keywords

iron nickel alloys / nanocrystalline alloys / thin films / phase composition / corrosion resistance / annealing temperature / grain size

References

[1] Afshar A., Dolati A.G., Ghorbani M. Electrochemical characterization of Ni–Fe alloy electrodeposition from chloride–citrate–glycolic acid solutions. Mater. Chem. Phys., 2002, 77(2): 352.

[2] Bai A., Hu C.C. Iron–cobalt and iron–cobalt–nickel nanowires deposited by means of cyclic voltammetry and pulse-reverse electroplating. Electrochem. Commun., 2003, 5(1): 78.

[3] Liu T.C., Lu Z.C., Li D.R., Sun K., Zhou S.X., Lu Y.P. Investigation on the microstructure and properties of electrodeposited iron-nickel alloy film with nano-structure. J. Funct. Mater., 2007, 38(1): 138.

[4] Werkmeister K.St., Rullang F., Koch M., Heyer M., Schwitzgebel G. Physico-chemical characterization of nanocrystalline (Fe, Ni) alloys. Nanostruct. Mater., 1999, 12(1-4): 229.

[5] Steward R.V., Fan G.J., Fu L.F., Green B.A., Liaw P.K., Wang G., Buchanan R.A. Pitting behavior of a bulk Ni–18 wt.% Fe nanocrystalline alloy. Corros. Sci., 2008, 50(4): 946.

[6] Martini E.M.A., Amaral S.T., Müller I.L. Electrochemical behaviour of Invar in phosphate solutions at pH = 6.0. Corros. Sci., 2004, 46(9): 2097.

[7] Hattendorf H. A 48% Ni–Fe alloy of low coercivity and improved corrosion resistance in a cyclic damp heat test. J. Magn. Magn. Mater., 2001, 231(1): 29.

[8] Mishra R., Balasubramaniam R. Effect of nanocrystalline grain size on the electrochemical and corrosion behavior of nickel. Corros. Sci., 2004, 46(12): 3019.

[9] Nasirpouri F., Sanaeian M.R., Samardak A.S., Sukovatitsina E.V., Ognev A.V., Chebotkevich L.A., Hosseini M.G., Abdolmaleki M. An investigation on the effect of surface morphology and crystalline texture on corrosion behavior, structural and magnetic properties of electrodeposited nanocrystalline nickel films. Appl. Surf. Sci., 2014, 292, 795.

[10] Li H.Q., Ebrahimi F. Synthesis and characterization of electrodeposited nanocrystalline nickel–iron alloys. Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 2003, 347(1-2): 93.

[11] Li H.Q., Ebrahimi F. An investigation of thermal stability and microhardness of electrodeposited nanocrystalline nickel–21% iron alloys. Acta Mater., 2003, 51(13): 3905.

[12] Lu D.Z., Wu M.J. Observation of etch pits in Fe–36wt%Ni Invar alloy. Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 2014, 21(7): 682.

[13] Thuvander M., Abraham M., Cerezo A., Smith G.D.W. Thermal stability of electrodeposited nanocrystalline nickel and iron–nickel alloys. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2001, 17(8): 961.

[14] Pavithra G.P., Hegde A.C. Magnetic property and corrosion resistance of electrodeposited nanocrystalline iron–nickel alloys. Appl. Surf. Sci., 2012, 258(18): 6884.

[15] Cheng W., Ge W., Yang Q., Qu X.X. Study on the corrosion properties of nanocrystalline nickel electrodeposited by reverse pulse current. Appl. Surf. Sci., 2013, 276, 604.

[16] Liu T.C., Lu Z.C., Li D.R., Lu Y.P. Effects of heat treatment temperature on microstructure and magnetic properties of Fe–Ni alloy film. Trans. Mater. Heat Treat., 2007, 28(6): 1.

[17] Stern M., Geary A.L. Electrochemical polarization: I. A theoretical analysis of the shape of polarization curves. J. Electrochem. Soc., 1957, 104(1): 56.