Fe0.88Cr0.12 and Fe0.85Cr0.15 alloys exposed to air at 870 K studied by TMS, CEMS and XPS

Abstract

The room temperature 57Fe Mössbauer and XPS spectra were measured for polycrystalline Fe0.88Cr0.12 and Fe0.85Cr0.15 alloys which were exposed to air at 870 K. The spectra were collected using three techniques: the transmission Mössbauer spectroscopy (TMS), the conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The combination of these experimental methods allows to determine changes in atomic composition in the bulk, in the subsurface layer and on the surface of the studied alloys. The results obtained by XPS confirm the strong chromium segregation process on the surface of Fe0.88Cr0.12 and Fe0.85Cr0.15 alloys. At the same time, the CEMS and TMS measurements reveal that in both samples, during the exposure to air at 870 K, iron oxides were formed. These findings lead to conclusion that the formation of a stable Cr oxide film on the surface of Fe0.88Cr0.12 and Fe0.85Cr0.15 alloys, does not prevent atmospheric corrosion at 870 K. Moreover, the observed by CEMS and TMS, oxidation process of iron atoms is slower for Fe0.88Cr0.12 than for Fe0.85Cr0.15. This fact is in agreement with XPS results which show that Cr surface segregation process is more effective in case of Fe0.88Cr0.12.