Investigation on Be, Mg, Ca, B, Ga, C, Si, and Ge atoms doped on Al (111) surface and their effect on oxygen adsorption: A first-principle calculation

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Oxygen corrosion of the aluminum alloy has a substantial impact on the durability of engineering materials and equipment. To better understand how various alloy elements affect oxygen corrosion, we used first-principle DFT method to study the role of each given dopant atom (Be, Mg, Ca, B, Ga, C, Si, and Ge) in the formation of surface oxide film on the Al (111) surface, in the case replacing a surface Al atom. Our calculations show that the electron gain or loss abilities of these alloy elements differ from that of Al metal, with Be, B, C, and Si atoms tending to penetrate into the surface, Mg, Ca, and Ga atoms protruding, and Ge atom just embedded into the Al (111) surfaces. Additionally, the type of doping element at the Al (111) surface can greatly affect the O2 absorption, predicting that Ca-doped surface absorb the least amount of oxygen, followed by Si-doped surface, with Be-, Mg-, B-, Ga-, C-, and Ge-doped surfaces showing higher O2 absorption. Based on adsorption energy (Eads) and partial density of states (PDOS) analysis, we conclude that the doped Al (111) surfaces can make O2 adsorption different owing to the difference in electronic properties of the doping atoms. These insights draw a greater knowledge of the role of alloy elements in the oxygen corrosion of Al alloys, enabling guidance for designing more corrosion-resistant materials.