Corrosion-electrochemical behavior of nanostructured chromium oxide layers obtained by laser irradiation of unalloyed steel by short pulses

Abstract

Laser short-pulse treatment of ultradispersed powdered chromium(III) oxide supported on the surface of steel 20 was used to obtain nanosize surface layers containing chromium and iron oxides dispersed in α- and γ-iron, as well as mixed oxides with a FeO · Cr2O3 spinel structure. Reduced metallic chromium is also found. Measurement of anodic potentiodynamic curves in neutral and weakly basic borate buffer solutions shows that the formed surface layers promote enhancement of corrosion stability of steel due to transition of the surface into a passive state.