Abstract
Changes in passive films on 18Cr‐8Ni stainless steel with the initiation and growth of pit have been measured in using a microscopic ellipsometer which provides a maximum magnification of ca. 600 times. The spatial distribution of film thickness within each grain was observed on the steel before pit initiation. The first pit initiated at a site where there was a small difference of 0.2–0.5 nm in the film thickness. With the growth of the first pit, film thinning first occurred around the pit, and then film thickening started beneath the pit. The second pit broke out on the boundary between the film thinned area and the original film thickness preserved area.
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