Study of Fe Diffusion in Cr<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Chromia protective layers are used to prevent corrosion by oxidation of many alloys, such as the stainless steels, for instance. To check if chromia is a barrier to the outward diffusion of iron in these alloys, iron diffusion in chromia was studied in both polycrystals and oxide films formed by oxidation of Ni-30Cr alloy in the temperature range 700-1100°C at an oxygen pressure equal to 10-4 atm. An iron film of about 70 nm thick was deposited on the chromia surface, and after the diffusing treatment, the iron depth profiles were established by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Using a solution of the Fick’s second law for diffusion from a thick film, effective or bulk diffusion coefficients were determined in a first penetration domain. Then, Le Claire’s and Hart’s models allowed both the bulk diffusion coefficient and the grain boundary diffusion parameter (aDgbd) to be obtained in a second penetration domain. Iron bulk and grain boundary diffusion does not vary significantly according to the nature-microstructure of chromia. The activation energy of grain boundary diffusion is at least equal or even greater than the activation energy of bulk diffusion, probably on account of segregation phenomena. Iron diffusion was compared to cationic self-diffusion and related to the protective character of chromia.