Effect of nitrogen ion implantation on corrosion inhibition of nickel coated 316 stainless steel and correlation with nano-structure

The influence of implantation of N+ with 20 keV energy and different fluences in the range of 1 × 1017 and 5 × 1018 ions/cm2 in the nickel coated type 316 stainless steel (SS) on the corrosion inhibition of SS in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution is investigated. The highest available N+ fluence showed highest corrosion inhibition. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed formation of nickel nitride phases that enhanced by increasing the N+ fluence. Surface morphology was studied by atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) before and after corrosion test, respectively. AFM results showed that by increasing N+ fluence surface of the sample becomes smoother that may be the result of heat accumulation during implantation causing higher rate of diffusion in the sample.