Corrosion and oxidation resistance study of reactive ion beam mixed 316 SS

Corrosion and oxidation resistance behaviour has been studied after reactive ion beam mixing (RIBM) treatment of 316 SS. The RIBM treatment was carried out on 28 nm Al- or 34 nm Si-deposited 316 SS using 30 keV N2+ ions, at room temperature, at different doses ranging from 4 × 1016 to 2 × 1017 ions/cm2. Structural characterization was done using the GXRD technique. Potentiodynamic polarization studies in 0.5 N H2SO4 solution were carried out to determine the corrosion resistance. Oxidation studies were done using the weight gain method. The RIBM-treated 316 SS show the increase in corrosion and oxidation resistances with the dose. The weight gain curves of the RIBM-treated 316 SS follow the logarithmic law indicating the formation of protective oxide film, which helps in preventing further oxidation. The improvements in corrosion and oxidation properties have been concluded to be due to the presence of AlN or Si3N4 in the near-surface region of 316 SS. The potentiodynamic polarization studies indicate that 316 SS containing Si3N4 has relatively better corrosion resistance than that containing AlN.