Influence of the Martensite Phase of the Cu-9Al-3Ag Alloy and Its Corrosion Behavior in NaCl-Containing Media

The present investigation shows the influence of the microstructure resulting from the heat treatment termed betatization of an aluminum bronze containing Cu-9Al-3Ag alloy, in as-cast and heat-treated samples immersed in 0.5M NaCl-containing media with all experiments conducted at 25 ºC. The said treatment corresponds to heat saturation conditions in the phase region where the beta phase predominates in the microstructure. The corrosion behavior was recorded through using cyclic voltammetry and potentiodynamic polarization techniques, supplemented by OCP recordings. The results obtained through the polarization curves showed that at more positive potentials the current density decreases considerably, which is attributed to the formation of corrosion products on the surface of the working electrode.