Fabrication and oxidation resistance of nanocrystalline Fe10Cr alloy

Nanocrystalline (nc) and microcrystalline (mc) Fe10Cr alloys were prepared by high energy ball-milling followed by compaction and sintering, and then oxidized in air for 52 h at 400 A degrees C. The oxidation resistance of nc Fe10Cr alloy as determined by measuring the weight gain after regular time intervals was compared with that of the mc alloy of same chemical composition (also prepared by the same fabrication route and oxidized under identical conditions). Oxidation resistance of nc Fe10Cr alloy was found to be in excess of an order of magnitude superior than that of mc Fe10Cr alloy. This article also presents results of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) of oxidized samples of nc and mc Fe-Cr alloys, evidencing the formation of a more protective oxide scale in the nc alloy.