Morphology and Kinetic Effect of Combined Nd and Pr on the Oxidation of a Fe-13Cr Alloy

The addition of rare earth elements (REÉs) i.e. Neodymium (Nd), Praseodymium (Pr) or Ytterbium oxide (Yb2O3) on the oxidation behavior of a Fe-13Cr alloy has been studied, and its role on the oxidation rate, oxide morphology and formation is discussed. It was found that a simultaneous addition of both elements i.e. Nd and Pr into the alloy produced a dramatic reduction in the oxidation kinetics. Analysis by SEM revealed that the morphology of oxides formed on Fe-13Cr specimens with and without REÉs specimens was very different. In fact, fine-grained oxide morphology was observed for alloys with REÉs addition.