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FeCrAl alloy is one of the potential candidates of structural materials due to its high strength, low radiation swelling and good oxidation resistance for the application of lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs). Particularly, FeCrAl alloy can form protective Al-containing oxide scales after exposure to liquid oxygen-rich Pb and lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE) at 400–800 ℃, showing better performance than traditional commercial stainless steels such as T91, 316L and 15-15Ti. Given the possibility that oxygen in liquid metal could be consumed and not be supplied timely in some quasi-static regions of the actual coolant circuit, to figure out the corrosion behavior of FeCrAl alloy in oxygen-depleted LBE is necessary. In this work, the commercial FeCrAl alloy was exposed to static liquid LBE containing Ni impurities with 10−9 wt% oxygen concentration at 600 ℃ for up to 5000 h, and the surface and cross-sectional morphology of the samples was characterized and analysed. It is found that FeCrAl alloy underwent severe dissolution corrosion, and the maximum penetration depth of LBE reached 161.4 μm after the test for 5000 h; PbBi infiltrated into alloy matrix along the GBs and selectively leached Al from the affected grains. Besides, an interesting discovery is the Cr-rich thin layer at LBE/matrix interface and Ni3Al precipitates in LBE penetration front which should be attributed to the deposition of impurity elements dissolved in liquid LBE during the cooling process.

Microstructural evolution of inner oxide layer of a Si-modified austenitic stainless steel exposed to oxygen-saturated static lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) at 550 °C up to 3000 h has been investigated. A dual-phase separated structure consisting of Fe-Cr spinel and (Fe, Cr) 1-x Ni x phase is formed in inner oxide layer, attributed to partitioning of Ni and Cr associated with Fe-Cr spinel formation. SiO 2 is preferentially formed preceding the Fe-Cr spinel at internal oxidation frontier, leading to dispersed SiO 2 nanoparticles within Fe-Cr spinel. The mechanism of LBE penetration into inner oxide layer is further developed based on preferable dissolution process of (Fe, Cr) 1-x Ni x phase. • A dual-phase separated structure consisting of Fe-Cr spinel oxide and (Fe, Cr) 1-x Ni x phase is developed in the inner oxide layer. • The formation of Fe-Cr spinel creates a Ni-riched and Cr-depleted micro-zone that is beneficial for forming (Fe, Cr) 1-x Ni x phase. • The dispersion of nano-sized SiO 2 oxide particles within Fe-Cr spinel is formed in the inner oxide layer. • The continuous LBE penetration into inner oxide layer is directly related to the preferable dissolution of (Fe, Cr) 1-x Ni x phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study discovered the twin boundaries (TBs) of CoCrNi medium-entropy alloy (MEA) exhibited high corrosion resistance to liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) at 500 °C with 5 × 10−7 mass% dissolved oxygen. The grain boundaries (GBs) were corroded by LBE, forming brittle Bi 3 Ni phases in LBE interior and at the LBE/CoCrNi interface. First-principles calculation indicated that the Bi diffusion energy barriers at GBs and TBs were 0.69 eV and 1.52 eV, respectively. The high diffusion barrier for Bi atom in CoCrNi MEA contributed to the high corrosion resistance of TBs in the liquid LBE. • This is the first report to estimate the corrosion behavior of medium-entropy alloy in liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE). • The twin boundaries (TBs) show excellent resistance to the LBE attack. • The Bi diffusion energy barriers at grain boundaries (GBs) and TBs are 0.69 eV and 1.52 eV, respectively. • The high diffusion barrier for Bi atom in CoCrNi contributes to the high corrosion resistance of TBs in the liquid LBE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using density-functional calculations, we studied the interaction between interstitial impurities (N, C) and γ-Fe(111) surfaces doped, or not, with Cr, as well as the effect of Cr doping on the dissolution corrosion resistance of the γ-Fe(111) surface. The elementary processes studied afforded microscopic insights into the formation of a Cr-depleted zone, a phenomenon that leads to local corrosion of the stainless steel surface. The aim of this work was to study, at the atomic scale, the effects of N and C on the segregation behavior of Cr and the synergetic effect between co-doped atoms on the resistance to dissolution corrosion of austenitic stainless steel surfaces. The results showed that interstitial impurities prefer to be trapped at near-surface sites, which can impact the segregation behavior of Cr such that it shifts from the surface to the subsurface. Electrode potential calculations and density of states analysis demonstrated that doping with Cr or inserting interstitial impurities into the solid solution can improve the surface corrosion resistance of an fcc Fe substrate, but detrimental effects on the surface corrosion resistance are induced by interactions between Cr and interstitial impurity atoms in co-doped surfaces. The formation of near-surface Cr carbides and nitrides (speculated to be Cr2N and Cr23C6 due to the results obtained for particular co-doped surfaces) was also noted. The results of our theoretical calculations explain some of the experimental results observed at the atomic scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of alloying elements in popular steels on the oxidation and dissolution corrosion of the surface of γ-Fe(111) have been investigated by performing density functional theory calculations within the local density approximation. First, the segregation of alloying atoms as well as preferential adsorption sites for oxygen and water were carefully examined, and it was found that all of the alloying elements considered had a tendency to segregate to the surface, and that the most preferred adsorption sites were the hexagonal closed packed (hcp) site and the top site for oxygen and water, respectively. The adsorption energies that characterized the tendency for oxygen or water to be adsorbed on the alloy surface showed that all ten alloying elements (especially Cr, Si, and Cu) were able to inhibit the adsorption of oxygen, and that all of the alloying elements except for Nb, Mo, and Ti inhibited water adsorption. The electrode potentials, which indicate the electrochemical stabilities of the surfaces of the alloys, suggested that all of these alloying elements (especially Cr, Mo, and Si) were able to suppress the adsorption of oxygen and water on the investigated surfaces, except for Nb and Ti in the case of water adsorption. Density of states analysis further indicated that all ten alloying elements (especially Cr, Si, Mo, and Cu) enhanced the corrosion resistance of the fcc Fe substrate, except for Nb and Ti with respect to dissolution corrosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]