Abstract
PurposeThis paper aims to focus on an assessment of the electrochemical corrosion performance of bulk NC copper in a variety of corrosion environments.Design/methodology/approachThe electrochemical corrosion behavior of bulk nanocrystalline (NC) copper prepared by inert gas condensation andin situwarm compress technique was studied by using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests in de-aerated 0.1 M NaOH solution.FindingsNC copper exhibited a typical active-passive-transpassive behavior with the formation of duplex passive films, which was qualitatively similar to coarse-grain (CG) copper. Although a compact passive film formed on NC copper surface, the corrosion resistance of NC copper was lower in comparison with CG copper. The increase in corrosion rate for NC copper was mainly attributed to the high activity of surface atoms and intergranular atoms. These atoms led to an enhancement of passive ability and an increase of dissolution rate of passive film in oxygen-deficiency solution. For NC copper, the corrosion resistance decreased as grain size increased in NC range.Originality/valueThe difference in corrosion resistance between bulk NC copper and its CG counterpart is dependent upon the corrosion solution. In a previous work, the potentiodynamic polarization tests revealed that NC copper bulks (grain size 48, 68, 92 nm) had identical corrosion resistance to CG copper bulk in naturally aerated 0.1 M NaOH solution. The results might be related to the dissolved oxygen in the medium.
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