Corrosion Behavior of Stainless Steel 304, Titanium, Nickel and Aluminium in Non-Aqueous Electrolytes

Abstract

The corrosion behavior of stainless steel 304 (SS 304), titanium, nickel and aluminium is studied by immersion and anodic polarization tests in non-aqueous electrolytes. Tetraethyl ammonium tetrafluoroborate is used as a supporting electrolyte in the three kinds of solvents. The immersion test shows that chemical corrosion rate in propylene carbonate-based electrolyte is lower than those in acetonitrile- or <TEX>${\gamma}$</TEX>-butyrolactone-based electrolytes. Surface analyses do not reveal any corrosion product formed after the immersion test. In the anodic polarization tests, a higher concentration of supporting electrolyte gives a higher current density. In addition, a higher temperature increases the current density in the active region and reduces the potential range in the passive region. SS 304 shows the highest corrosion potential while Al shows the lowest corrosion potential and the highest current density in all studied conditions. Based on the conducted corrosion tests, the corrosion resistance of metal substrates in the organic solvents can be sorted in descending order as follows: SS 304 - Ti - Ni - Al.