Corrosion Behavior and Morphology of Passive Films Modified with Zinc–Aluminum Simultaneous Treatment on Different Metals

Abstract

Passive films were formed on A508-3 steel (A508-3), 304L stainless steel (304L) and Incoloy 800 (In800) with blank/zinc/zinc–aluminum treatments in air at 300 °C. The electrochemical corrosion behaviors of different metals were investigated through potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the Mott–Schottky technique. The morphology and composition of passive films were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The zinc–aluminum treatment effectively reduced the corrosion current and increased the impedance of A508-3 and 304L, but had a weak effect on In800. The zinc–aluminum treatment reduced the carrier concentration of A508-3 and changed the semiconductor property of 304L and In800. The order of zinc–aluminum treatment for improving the corrosion resistance of three metals was: A508-3 > 304L > In800. In addition, the zinc–aluminum treatment enhanced the density and smoothness of passive films. According to the composition analysis, spinel ZnAl2O4 was formed on three metals; however, the amount of spinel varied with the content of nickel and chromium in different metals, which affected the results of using this technology.