Element-Resolved Corrosion Analysis of Stainless-Type Glass-Forming   Steels
  Ultrathin passive films effectively prevent the chemical attack of stainless steel grades in corrosive environments; their stability critically depends on the interplay between structure and chemistry of the constituents Fe-Cr-Mo. In particular, nanoscale inhomogeneities along the surface can have a tremendous impact on material failure, but are yet barely understood. Addressing a stainless-type glass-forming Fe50Cr15Mo14C15B6 alloy and utilizing a combination of complementary high-resolution analytical techniques, we relate near-atomistic insight into different gradual nanostructures with time- and element-resolved dissolution behavior. The progressive elemental segregation on the nanoscale is followed in its influence on the concomitant degree of passivity. A detrimental transition from Cr-controlled passivity to Mo-controlled breakdown is dissected atom-by-atom demonstrating the importance of nanoscale knowledge for understanding corrosion. 
M. J. Duarte, J. Klemm, S. O. Klemm, K. J. J. Mayrhofer, M. Stratmann,   S. Borodin, A. H. Romero, M. Madinehe, D. Crespo, J...
cond-mat.mtrl-sci