Magnetic field effect on stainless steel corrosion in FeCl3 solution

Corrosion of AISI 303 stainless steel in FeCl₃ solution was studied in the magnetic field, whose direction was perpendicular to the corroding surface. The magnetic field inhibited corrosion in both quiet and stirred solutions. This was evident from the increased repassivation potential, the reduced number of pits and the decreased mass loss. By contrast, an accelerating effect of the magnetic field was observed on the single cathodic reaction of the corrosion process, viz. Fe(III) reduction to Fe(II). This was confirmed by voltammetric measurements on both platinum and stainless steel electrodes. The corrosion magnetoinhibition was explained in terms of field-assisted development of a passive layer, whose passivation capacity was higher than that under the field-free conditions.