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The corrosion of a number of coarse- and fine-grained copper materials has been studied in an aerated aqueous nitric acid (100 mM) solution. The materials properties and the consequences of corrosion were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, electron back scatter diffraction and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The corrosion of the coarse-grained materials was shown to be strongly influenced by the crystallographic orientations of grains. For fine-grained materials grain boundary etching at high angle grain boundaries and grain boundary pores (for cold sprayed copper) overrode the influences of texture on the corrosion rate.

The exposure conditions experienced by copper-coated high-level nuclear waste containers in a deep geologic repository will evolve with time. An early exposure period involving the gamma irradiation of aerated humid vapor could lead to the formation of nitric acid condensed in limited volumes of water on the container surface. The evolution of the corrosion processes under these conditions have been studied using pH measurements in limited volumes of water containing various concentrations of nitric acid. The extent and morphology of corrosion was examined using scanning electron microscopy on surfaces and on focused ion beam cut cross sections. The composition of corrosion products was determined by energy dispersive x-ray analyses and Raman spectroscopy. In the absence of dissolved oxygen only minor corrosion was observed with the reduction of nitric acid inhibited by the formation of either chemisorbed nitrate and nitrite species or the formation of a thin cuprite (Cu2O) layer. When the solution was aerated, both oxygen and nitric acid acted as cathodic reagents. After extensive exposure periods corrosion was stifled by the formation of corrosion product deposits of Cu2O, CuO (tenorite), and Cu2NO3(OH)3 (rouaite).

The formation of sulfide and oxide films on copper has been studied in sulfide solutions containing chloride and buffered to pH = 9 with borate over the temperature range 20 °C to 80 °C. The primary goal was to investigate the susceptibility of copper to pitting corrosion over a range of temperatures expected in a deep geological repository. Films were formed electrochemically and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray and Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Chalcocite (Cu2S) formation was observed to occur under partially transport-controlled conditions in the potential range −0.9 V to −0.3 V vs SCE. At less negative potentials (≥ −0.3 V vs SCE), a transition from active dissolution to partial passivation by a copper oxide film was observed. Temperature had only a minor effect on the formation of the sulfide film, but the onset of active dissolution and oxide film formation shifted to lower potentials as the temperature increased.

The preferred disposal method for used nuclear fuel is to seal it in containers emplaced in a deep geologic repository (DGR) in a suitable rock formation. In Canada, the container is a robust steel vessel coated with 3 mm of Cu as a corrosion barrier. Eventually, the DGR environment will become anoxic, and in the absence of oxygen copper is thermodynamically stable in water. However, since exposure conditions will initially be oxidizing due to the presence of trapped O2 upon sealing the DGR, there is a possibility of localized corrosion to occur. Mass balance calculations show that uniform corrosion during this period will be within the designed corrosion allowance, however, since the Cu coating is relatively thin and the required lifetime is long, the risk of pitting corrosion during this period must be carefully evaluated. Pitting corrosion susceptibility is determined by the corrosion potential of the material (Ecorr, the potential at which the rates of all anodic and cathodic reactions are equal), and the breakdown potential (Eb, the potential at which the copper oxidation rate on the surface increases abruptly due to the breakdown of the protective film), both of which are distributed parameters. This is due to the stochastic nature of passive film rupture and any uncontrollable variations in the structure and local environment at the metal surface. It is important to note that the analysis is based on the concept that pitting is only possible if the Ecorr is equal to, or more positive than the Eb. Our previous studies showed a passive behavior of copper surface when exposed to high pH solutions. In this work, a multielectrode array was used to obtain a statistically meaningful set of potential measurements through the simultaneous monitoring of 30 electrodes to determine their corrosion and breakdown potentials. From the extensive database that acquired, the Ecorr and Eb distributions were defined for the copper electrodes exposed to solutions containing various chloride concentrations and a more thorough evaluation of the relative values of Ecorr and Eb has undertaken to determine the susceptibility to pitting. Experiments were conducted using a multielectrode array in chloride and sulfate containing solutions at 25 °C and pH 8 and 11. In alkaline solutions, the copper oxide is more stable and can potentially form a passive film, whereas chloride and sulfate promote the breakdown of the passive film. As the concentration of aggressive anions increased, the values of Ecorr and Eb decreased, suggesting that the solubility of copper increases with in the presence of both chloride and sulfate. However, there is a critical sulfate concentration (~5 × 10-3 M) that above which the pitting probability of copper decreases. In general, the possibility of pitting increases with growing overlap between the distribution curves of Ecorr and Eb. To evaluate the possibility of pitting, histograms and distribution curves of Ecorr and Eb in the solutions that contain different chloride and sulfate concentrations were compared. In lower chloride concentrations, there was a very small overlap between distributions of Ecorr and Eb values; therefore, the possibility of pitting under these conditions is very low. On the other hand, a high chloride concentration at high pH indicated a higher probability of pitting, as the overlap between Ecorr and Eb distributions increased. Also, the extent of the passive zone decreased with increasing chloride concentration. In solutions containing sulfate content, the overlap between Ecorr and Eb increased with increasing sulfate concentration up to a certain content (~5 × 10-3 M), after this point the overlap decreased as the sulfate concentration increased. The results from potentiodynamic experiments indicated that increasing the chloride concentration resulted in decreased the extent of the passive zone; however, the sulfate did not seem to play a significant role in changing the extent of the passive zone.

Oxide growth kinetics on the Ni-Cr-Fe alloy Inconel 600 and the Co-Cr alloy Stellite 6 under potentiostatic polarization have been investigated by current measurements augmented by ex-situ surface analyses. The results reveal a mechanism for metal oxidation and oxide formation that is common to both alloys. The reaction thermodynamics for the oxidation of a metal determine whether a certain metal oxidation can or cannot occur. However, the metal oxidation proceeds via two competing pathways, oxide formation and metal ion dissolution. At pH 10.6 where the solubilities of FeII, NiII or CoII species are near their minima, oxide formation is favoured over metal ion dissolution. As the oxide grows, the rate of metal oxidation decreases with time due to an increase in the electrochemical potential barrier. The oxide formation occurs sequentially; the conversion of the preformed Cr2O3 film to chromite (FeCr2O4 or CoCr2O4) proceeds before the next layers of Fe3O4/NiFe2O4 and NiO/Ni(OH)2 grow on Inconel 600, or CoO/Co(OH)2 grows on Stellite 6. The effect of a different EAPP is to limit the oxidation sequence. The pH does not directly affect the driving force for metal oxidation but it strongly influences the relative rates of oxide formation and metal dissolution, thereby affecting metal oxidation kinetics.

The effects of γ-radiation on the corrosion of a cobalt-based alloy, Stellite-6, were studied at pH 6.0, 8.4 and 10.6 at room temperature. The type and thickness of the oxide formed and the dissolved cobalt content were analyzed following 3-d long corrosion tests using coupons in sealed vials. Oxidation kinetics were studied by monitoring the corrosion potential as a function of test conditions and by performing potentiostatic polarization tests as a function of applied potential. The results of this work show that γ-irradiation increases the cobalt oxidation rate but the consequence of this increase varies with pH. This is due to the fact that pH influences the relative rates of two competing reactions, oxide growth and dissolution, differently. The increased cobalt oxidation rate at pH 6.0 leads mostly to an increase in the rate of cobalt dissolution, whereas the increased oxidation rate at pH 10.6 mostly increases the rate of oxide growth. At an intermediate pH (8.4) both dissolution and oxide growth are modestly enhanced.