OXIDATION OF FE-CR SURFACE AND BULK ALLOYS AT 300-DEGREES-C

The oxidation behavior of several surface and bulk Fe-Cr alloys and iron at 300°C and 4×10-6 Torr oxygen was studied. The surface alloys were fabricated by implantation of 25 keV Cr ions into the outermost 300Å of polycrystalline iron samples. The oxide thickness as a function of oxygen exposure was obtained using proton-excited X-ray analysis, and composition profiles of oxide films were obtained using Auger electron spectroscopy and ion sputtering. The addition of Cr to Fe by surface and bulk alloying caused the oxidation rate to decrease and changed the oxidation kinetics from parabolic (for Fe) to logarithmic (for Cr concentrations ≥4.7at.%). Interpretation of the data in terms of simple oxidation theories indicates that the Cr additions may reduce the oxidation rate by altering the electronic properties of the metal-oxide interface. © 1979 Plenum Publishing Corporation.