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RESEARCH PRODUCT

SVET, AFM and AES study of pitting corrosion initiated on MnS inclusions by microinjection

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As pitting is a random phenomenon, it is difficult to predict where a pit will appear on the surface and consequently the use of local probes is rendered difficult. In this work, a new method to study pitting corrosion on a MnS inclusion on 316L stainless steel is proposed. It consists in modifying locally the chemistry in its vicinity by injecting with a microcapillary an aggressive solution of NaCl, H2SO4 or HCl. Once a pit appears, scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) is used to follow the current fluctuations over and around the pit when the metal is polarized at a passive potential. In another series of experiments the effect of local activation of MnS inclusion was studied ex-situ using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and atomic force microscopy. It is observed that a single pit can be initiated only when hydrochloric acid is injected, whereas sulphuric acid only partially dissolved the inclusion. On another hand, the surface morphology is not affected when a sodium chloride solution is injected. A significant enrichment in sulphur is detected around the inclusion by AES, and micropits are observed in the metal at the edge of the inclusion after HCl activation. Anodic zones are detected by SVET around the inclusion, whereas a cathodic current flows from the inclusion. The anodic current is clearly ascribed to the breakdown of passivity induced by adsorbed sulphur coming from the MnS dissolution, whereas various assumptions can be proposed for the origin of the cathodic current.