Comparing the corrosion behavior of nanograined and coarse-grained interstitial free steels

The corrosion behavior of nanograined (NG) IF-steel was compared with its coarse-grained (CG) counterpart. The corrosion tests were carried out using different solutions of NaCl and H2SO4. The results show that the nanostructured IF steel exhibited higher corrosion resistance (E-corr) and lower corrosion rate (i(corr)). According to the corroded microstructures, extensive cracking was observed in the case of CG subjected to both chloride and acidic media, as well as localized corrosion with signs of severe pitting. The results also show that NaCl can act as an inhibitor when added to H2SO4-containg solution leading to a decrease in the detrimental effect of H2SO4.