Passive films at the nanoscale

Deciphering the Interplay between Local and Global Dynamics of Anodic Metal Oxidation

The stark difference between global and local metal oxidation dynamics underscores the need for methodologies capable of performing precise sub-μm-scale and wide-field measurements. In this study, we present reflective microscopy as a tool developed to address this challenge, illustrated by the example of chronoamperometric Fe oxidation in a NaCl solution. Analysis at a local scale of 10 s of μm has revealed three distinct periods of Fe oxidation: the initial covering of the metal interface with a surface film, followed by the electrochemical conversion of the formed surface film, and finally, the in-depth oxidation of Fe. In addition, thermodynamic calculations and the quantitative analysis of changes in optical signal (light intensity), correlated with variations in refractive indexes, suggest the initial formation of maghemite, followed by its subsequent conversion to magnetite. The reactivity maps for all three periods are heterogeneous, which can be attributed to the preferential oxidation of certain crystallographic grains. Notably, at the global scale of 100 s of μm, reactivity initiates at the electrode border and progresses toward its center, demonstrating a unique pattern that is independent of the local metal structure. This finding underscores the significance of simultaneously employing sub-μm-precise, quantitative, and wide-field measurements for a comprehensive description of metal oxidation processes.

The Oxygen Evolution Reaction Drives Passivity Breakdown for Ni-Cr-Mo Alloys

Corrosion is the main factor limiting the lifetime of metallic materials, and a fundamental understanding of the governing mechanism and surface processes is difficult to achieve since the thin oxide films at the metal-liquid interface governing passivity are notoriously challenging to study. In this work, a combination of synchrotron-based techniques and electrochemical methods is used to investigate the passive film breakdown of a Ni-Cr-Mo alloy, which is used in many industrial applications. This alloy is found to be active toward oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and the OER onset coincides with the loss of passivity and severe metal dissolution. The OER mechanism involves the oxidation of Mo4+ sites in the oxide film to Mo6+ that can be dissolved, which results in passivity breakdown. This is fundamentally different from typical transpassive breakdown of Cr-containing alloys where Cr6+ is postulated to be dissolved at high anodic potentials, which is not observed here. At high current densities, OER also leads to acidification of the solution near the surface, further triggering metal dissolution. The OER plays an important role in the mechanism of passivity breakdown of Ni-Cr-Mo alloys due to their catalytic activity, and this effect needs to be considered when studying the corrosion of catalytically active alloys.

Uses of Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy (SECM) for the Characterization with Spatial and Chemical Resolution of Thin Surface Layers and Coating Systems Applied on Metals: A Review

Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy (SECM) is increasingly used in the study and characterization of thin surface films as well as organic and inorganic coatings applied on metals for the collection of spatially- and chemically-resolved information on the localized reactions related to material degradation processes. The movement of a microelectrode (ME) in close proximity to the interface under study allows the application of various experimental procedures that can be classified into amperometric and potentiometric operations depending on either sensing faradaic currents or concentration distributions resulting from the corrosion process. Quantitative analysis can be performed using the ME signal, thus revealing different sample properties and/or the influence of the environment and experimental variables that can be observed on different length scales. In this way, identification of the earlier stages for localized corrosion initiation, the adsorption and formation of inhibitor layers, monitoring of water and specific ions uptake by intact polymeric coatings applied on metals for corrosion protection as well as lixiviation, and detection of coating swelling—which constitutes the earlier stages of blistering—have been successfully achieved. Unfortunately, despite these successful applications of SECM for the characterization of surface layers and coating systems applied on metallic materials, we often find in the scientific literature insufficient or even inadequate description of experimental conditions related to the reliability and reproducibility of SECM data for validation. This review focuses specifically on these features as a continuation of a previous review describing the applications of SECM in this field.

Enhanced corrosion resistance by engineering crystallography on metals

Nanometer-thick passive films, which impart superior corrosion resistance to metals, are degraded in long-term service; they are also susceptible to chloride-induced localized attack. Here we show, by engineering crystallographic configurations upon metal matrices adjacent to their passive films, we obtain great enhancement of corrosion resistance of FeCr15Ni15 single crystal in sulphuric acid, with activation time up to two orders of magnitude longer than that of the non-engineered counterparts. Meanwhile, engineering crystallography decreases the passive current density and shifts the pitting potential to noble values. Applying anodic polarizations under a transpassivation potential, we make the metal matrices underneath the transpassive films highly uneven with {111}-terminated configurations, which is responsible for the enhancement of corrosion resistance. The transpassivation strategy also works in the commercial stainless steels where both grain interior and grain boundaries are rebuilt into the low-energy configurations. Our results demonstrate a technological implication in the pretreatment process of anti-corrosion engineering.

Passive films on metal surfaces provide better corrosion resistance, but they can degrade in long-term service. Here the authors demonstrate a strategy to engineer crystallographic configuration at the metal/film interface to further improve corrosion resistance.

Depth Profile Analysis of Thin Oxide Layers on Polycrystalline Fe-Cr

Surfaces of polycrystalline ferritic Fe-Cr steel with grain sizes of about 13 µm in diameter were investigated with surface sensitive techniques. Thin oxide layers, with a maximum thickness of about 100 nm, were grown by oxidation in air at temperatures up to 450°C and were subsequently characterized using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and atomic force microscopy. Correlative microscopy was applied, which allows for element-specific depth profiles on selected grains with a particular crystal orientation. A strong correlation between the grain orientation and the thickness of the oxide layer was found. The sequence in the oxidation growth rate of ferritic Fe-Cr steel crystal planes is found to be {011} > {111} > {001}, which is unexpectedly opposed to known Fe-based systems. Moreover, for the first time, the Cr/Fe ratio throughout the oxide layer has been determined per grain orientation. A clear order from high to low of {001} > {111} > {011} was detected.

Silver Tarnishing Mechanism Revealed by Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The mechanism of silver-oxygen and silver-sulfur reactions is revealed by means of molecular dynamics simulations, performed with reactive force fields purposely built and extensively tested against quantum-chemical results. Different reaction mechanisms and rates for Ag-O and Ag-S emerge. This study solves the long-lasting question why silver exposed to the environment is strongly vulnerable to sulfur corrosion (tarnishing) but hardly reacts with O₂ , despite the thermodynamic prediction that both oxide and sulfide should form. The reliability of the simulation results is confirmed by the agreement with a multitude of experimental results from the literature.

Early-stage NiCrMo oxidation revealed by cryo-transmission electron microscopy

Hydroxide formation at the surface of corroded alloys is critical for understanding early-stage oxidation of many corrosion-resistant alloys. Many hydroxides are unstable in an ambient environment and are electron-beam sensitive, limiting the use of conventionally-prepared specimens for transmission electron microscopy characterization of these alloy-water interfaces. In order to avoid sample dehydration, NiCrMo alloys corroded in a Cl^--containing electrolyte solution were cryo-immobilized by plunge freezing. A cryo-focused ion beam microscope was used to thin the sample to electron transparency, while preserving the alloy-water interface, and the sample was then cryo-transferred to a transmission electron microscope for imaging and diffraction. The presence of rocksalt Ni_1-xCr_2x/3O and β-Ni_1-xCr_2x/3(OH)₂ phases and their orientational relationship to the underlying alloy were observed with electron diffraction, confirming the preservation of the surface structure through the fully-cryogenic sample preparation and analysis.

Unmasking chloride attack on the passive film of metals

Nanometer-thick passive films on metals usually impart remarkable resistance to general corrosion but are susceptible to localized attack in certain aggressive media, leading to material failure with pronounced adverse economic and safety consequences. Over the past decades, several classic theories have been proposed and accepted, based on hypotheses and theoretical models, and oftentimes, not sufficiently nor directly corroborated by experimental evidence. Here we show experimental results on the structure of the passive film formed on a FeCr₁₅Ni₁₅ single crystal in chloride-free and chloride-containing media. We use aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy to directly capture the chloride ion accumulation at the metal/film interface, lattice expansion on the metal side, undulations at the interface, and structural inhomogeneity on the film side, most of which had previously been rejected by existing models. This work unmasks, at the atomic scale, the mechanism of chloride-induced passivity breakdown that is known to occur in various metallic materials.

Collecting experimental evidence of chloride ion attack on protective passive metallic films due to corrosion remains challenging. Here, the authors show that the boundaries between nanocrystals and amorphous regions in the passive film ease chloride transport even as they do not coincide with areas of high chloride concentration.

Density functional theory study of the OH, Cl and H2O coadsorption on the step-defect Al2O3 film surface

Density functional theory has been performed on the step-defect Al2O3 film surfaces with the OH, Cl and H2O molecules coadsorption. Three kinds of step-defect (Al, O2, Al3) surfaces are optimized and the adsorption energy, the binding energies of film and adsorbates are calculated. The energy properties are similar in H2O or Cl coadsorption configurations, but have obvious differences for the OH group coadsorption configuration due to large numbers of adsorbate species and numbers. After structural relaxation, most of the step-defect surfaces could be easily hydroxylated. The Al3 step-defect surfaces are easier to be corroded by H2O and coadsorption molecules due to lots of unsaturated dangling bonds, some H2O molecules are located into the step-defect, surface Al atoms collapse inside the steps and several inner O atoms move outside the film. When the Cl exists in the aqueous solution, it would restrict H2O molecules from dissociating into OH groups. Moreover, the dissociation and recombination of H2O molecules could be promoted by OH groups.

In situ nano- to microscopic imaging and growth mechanism of electrochemical dissolution (e.g., corrosion) of a confined metal surface

Reactivity in confinement is central to a wide range of applications and systems, yet it is notoriously difficult to probe reactions in confined spaces in real time. Using a modified electrochemical surface forces apparatus (EC-SFA) on confined metallic surfaces, we observe in situ nano- to microscale dissolution and pit formation (qualitatively similar to previous observation on nonmetallic surfaces, e.g., silica) in well-defined geometries in environments relevant to corrosion processes. We follow "crevice corrosion" processes in real time in different pH-neutral NaCl solutions and applied surface potentials of nickel (vs. Ag|AgCl electrode in solution) for the mica-nickel confined interface of total area ∼0.03 mm² The initial corrosion proceeds as self-catalyzed pitting, visualized by the sudden appearance of circular pits with uniform diameters of 6-7 μm and depth ∼2-3 nm. At concentrations above 10 mM NaCl, pitting is initiated at the outer rim of the confined zone, while below 10 mM NaCl, pitting is initiated inside the confined zone. We compare statistical analysis of growth kinetics and shape evolution of individual nanoscale deep pits with estimates from macroscopic experiments to study initial pit growth and propagation. Our data and experimental techniques reveal a mechanism that suggests initial corrosion results in formation of an aggressive interfacial electrolyte that rapidly accelerates pitting, similar to crack initiation and propagation within the confined area. These results support a general mechanism for nanoscale material degradation and dissolution (e.g., crevice corrosion) of polycrystalline nonnoble metals, alloys, and inorganic materials within confined interfaces.

Metal oxide nanostructures by a simple hot water treatment

Surfaces with metal oxide nanostructures have gained considerable interest in applications such as sensors, detectors, energy harvesting cells, and batteries. However, conventional fabrication techniques suffer from challenges that hinder wide and effective applications of such surfaces. Most of the metal oxide nanostructure synthesis methods are costly, complicated, non-scalable, environmentally hazardous, or applicable to only certain few materials. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a simple metal oxide nanostructure fabrication method that can overcome all these limitations and pave the way to the industrial application of such surfaces. Here, we demonstrate that a wide variety of metals can form metal oxide nanostructures on their surfaces after simply interacting with hot water. This method, what we call hot water treatment, offers the ability to grow metal oxide nanostructures on most of the metals in the periodic table, their compounds, or alloys by a one-step, scalable, low-cost, and eco-friendly process. In addition, our findings reveal that a “plugging” mechanism along with surface diffusion is critical in the formation of such nanostructures. This work is believed to be of importance especially for researchers working on the growth of metal oxide nanostructures and their application in functional devices.

Atomic level characterization in corrosion studies

Atomic level characterization brings fundamental insight into the mechanisms of self-protection against corrosion of metals and alloys by oxide passive films and into how localized corrosion is initiated on passivated metal surfaces. This is illustrated in this overview with selected data obtained at the subnanometre, i.e. atomic or molecular, scale and also at the nanometre scale on single-crystal copper, nickel, chromium and stainless steel surfaces passivated in well-controlled conditions and analysed in situ and/or ex situ by scanning tunnelling microscopy/spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. A selected example of corrosion modelling by ab initio density functional theory is also presented. The discussed aspects include the surface reconstruction induced by hydroxide adsorption and formation of two-dimensional (hydr)oxide precursors, the atomic structure, orientation and surface hydroxylation of three-dimensional ultrathin oxide passive films, the effect of grain boundaries in polycrystalline passive films acting as preferential sites of passivity breakdown, the differences in local electronic properties measured at grain boundaries of passive films and the role of step edges at the exposed surface of oxide grains on the dissolution of the passive film.This article is part of the themed issue 'The challenges of hydrogen and metals'.

Ab initio modeling of the bonding of benzotriazole corrosion inhibitor to reduced and oxidized copper surfaces

The bonding of benzotriazole-an outstanding corrosion inhibitor for copper-on reduced and oxidized copper surfaces is discussed on the basis of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Calculations reveal that benzotriazole is able to bond with oxide-free and oxidized copper surfaces and on both of them it bonds significantly stronger to coordinatively unsaturated Cu sites. This suggests that benzotriazole is able to passivate the reactive under-coordinated surface sites that are plausible microscopic sites for corrosion attack. Benzotriazole can adsorb in a variety of different forms, yet it forms a strong molecule-surface bond only in deprotonated form. The bonding is even stronger when the deprotonated form is incorporated into organometallic adcomplexes. This is consistent with existing experimental evidence that benzotriazole inhibits corrosion by forming protective organometallic complexes. It is further shown that adsorption of benzotriazole considerably reduces the metal work function, which is a consequence of a large permanent molecular dipole and a properly oriented adsorption structure. It is argued that such a pronounced effect on the work function might be relevant for corrosion inhibition, because it should diminish the anodic corrosion reaction, which is consistent with existing experimental evidence that benzotriazole, although a mixed type inhibitor, predominantly affects the anodic reaction.