The electrochemical behaviour of stainless steel AISI 304 in alkaline solutions with different pH in the presence of chlorides

Nowadays, stainless steel reinforcements appear as an effective solution to increase the durability of reinforced concrete structures exposed to very aggressive environments. AISI 304 is widely used for this purpose. Although the improved durability of reinforcing AISI 304, when compared to carbon steel, there is a high probability of pitting susceptibility in the presence of chlorides. Thus, the present work aims at studying the passivation and passivation breakdown of AISI 304 in alkaline solutions of different pH (pH from 13 to 9), simulating the interstitial concrete electrolyte. These solutions were contaminated with different concentrations of chloride ions (3% and 10%, as NaCl). The electrochemical behaviour was evaluated by d.c. potentiodynamic polarization and by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The morphological features and the changes observed in the surface composition were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) together with EDS chemical analysis. The results evidence that pH plays an important role in the evolution of the film resistance and charge transfer processes. Moreover, the effect is highly dependent upon the chloride content and immersion time. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.