A study on the solubility and distribution of carbon in oxides

Measurements of radiocarbon in oxides were conducted after annealing single crystalline und polycrystalline FeO, Fe₃O₄, MnO, MgO, Cr₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ in radioactive CO₂-CO mixtures at 1000°C for different times. Concentrations of ≥ 0.01 wt. ppm C could be detected by anticoincidence counting and the distribution was observed by autoradiography. The measurements showed no carbon (< 0.01 ppm) in the lattice or the grain boundaries of pore- and crack-free oxides, carbon was detected only in cracks, pores or in grain boundaries which had cracked open. Thus, there is no measurable solubility of carbon in the bulk oxides for all the different chemical compositions investigated. Permeation of carbon through oxide layers on metals and alloys can only occur by transport of carbon-bearing molecules through cracks and pores of the oxide.