Electrochemical and statistical assessment of corrosion behavior of sintered Ni–Cr alloys in acidic media
摘要
This study examines the corrosion characteristics of sintered nickel-chromium (Ni-xCr) alloys (x equal to 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 4.0, 8.0, and 12.0 wt.%Cr) in three acidic environments: 1 M HNO₃, 1 M H₂SO₄, and 1 M H₃PO₄, employing a scientific methodology. The chromium composition of the alloys varies from 0 to 12 wt%. Corrosion performance was assessed using statistical modeling, surface analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), and weight loss measurements. Although the effect of chromium concentration, based on weight-loss data, was not statistically significant at the 95% confidence level (p = 0.103), two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the corrosive medium significantly influences the corrosion rate (CR) (p = 0.001). The electrochemical findings indicate that the incorporation of chromium markedly enhances performance: pure nickel displayed elevated corrosion current density (Icorr) values of 3.138 µA/cm² in HNO₃, 0.378 µA/cm² in H₂SO₄, and 0.544 µA/cm² in H₃PO₄, whereas the introduction of 1.0 wt% Cr substantially reduced Icorr to 0.481, 0.036, and 0.205 µA/cm² in the respective solutions. EIS investigations confirmed that low- to moderate-Cr additions significantly enhanced polarization resistance, indicating improved stability of the passive film. The corrosive medium was identified as the principal factor affecting corrosion behavior in response surface regression, yielding a statistically significant model (p = 0.001) with an R2 of 80.69%. The results indicate that although chromium improves electrochemical resistance and aids passivation, the corrosive nature of the acidic environment remains the primary determinant of corrosion performance in sintered Ni–xCr alloys.