High corrosion resistance of austenitic stainless steel alloyed with nitrogen in an acid solution

Passivity of austenitic stainless steel containing nitrogen (ASS N25) was investigated in comparison with AISI 316L in deareated acid solution, pH 0.4. A peculiar nature of the passivation peak in a potentiodynamic curve and the kinetic parameters of formation and growth of the oxide film have been discussed. The electronic-semiconducting properties of the passive films have been correlated with their corrosion resistance. Alloying austenitic stainless steel with nitrogen increases its microstructure homogeneity and decreases the concentration of charge carriers, which beneficially affects the protecting and electronic properties of the passive oxide film. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.