Temperature effect in the corrosion resistance of Ni–Fe–Cr alloy in chloride medium

The corrosion susceptibility of alloy 33 in 0.5 mol/L sodium sulphate solutions containing or not 0.1 mol/L sodium chloride was tested at three different temperatures: 22 °C, 40 °C and 60 °C. Electrochemical studies were performed using corrosion potential measurements ( E corr) as well as potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Corrosion potential measurements showed that alloy 33 was passivated by a previously air formed film which was not destroyed during immersion in both solutions. No corrosion was observed during these tests although the temperature affected the film. Potentiodynamic polarization experiments showed that at high anodic potentials the previous film was broken up, and localized corrosion occurred in both solutions and at the three temperatures tested. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests confirmed the presence of a stable passive film on the alloy surface at open circuit potential. Mott–Schottky analysis indicated that the passive film is an n-type semiconductor due to the presence of point defects of donor species, such as oxygen vacancies and interstitial metallic cations. As the potential increases the Cr(III) present in the barrier layer oxidizes producing Cr(VI) soluble species. The dissolution creates metallic cation vacancies that are acceptor species and the film changes from n-type to p-type semiconductor. The passive film rupture and the following localized attack are related to the drastic oxidative dissolution of the film at high anodic potentials, independent of its p-nature, chloride presence or increased temperature.