Role of chromium ion implantation on the corrosion behavior of zirconium in 1N H2SO4

In order to study the effect of chromium ion implantation on the aqueous corrosion behavior of zirconium, specimens were implanted by chromium ions with a dose range from 1×10¹⁶ to 1×10¹⁷ ions/cm², using MEVVA source at an extracted voltage of 40 kV. The valence and elements penetration distribution of the surface layer were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and auger electron spectroscopy (AES), respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to examine the micro-morphology and microstructure of chromium-implanted samples. The potentiodynamic polarization measurement was employed to value the aqueous corrosion resistance of zirconium in a 1N H₂SO₄ solution. It was found that a significant improvement was achieved in the aqueous corrosion resistance of zirconium compared with that of as-received zirconium. The mechanism of the corrosion resistance improvement of chromium-implanted zirconium is probably due to the addition of the chromium oxide dispersoid into the zirconium matrix.