Mechanisms of defect-promoted oxidation and carburization in austenitic stainless steels and the beneficial role of Al on defect elimination

QY Zhou and JY Chen and HG Shi and LF Zhang and YP Huang and G Zhang and YF Zhao and XL Guo, CORROSION SCIENCE, 246, 112755 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.corsci.2025.112755

A systematic study was conducted on an alumina-forming austenitic (AFA) stainless steel exposed to 650 degrees C/15 MPa supercritical carbon dioxide. Results show that AFA exhibits superior corrosion resistance compared with its austenitic stainless steel (ASS) counterpart. The Cr2O3 film in ASS exhibits numerous defects, attributed to the counter- diffusion of Cr3 + and O2- and the oxide growth stress. Through trace Al addition (similar to 2.5 wt%), a slowly growth Al2O3/ Cr2O3 bilayer oxide film on AFA effectively prevents the formation of pores and cracks. High-resolution characterization and atomic modeling results demonstrate that defect-free oxide films exhibit exceptional protective properties against both oxidation and carburization.

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