Effects of Short-Range Order on Aqueous Corrosion in Binary Alloys
Unlike stainless steel, many other metals undergo severe corrosion in aqueous environments, which can impose significant human and financial losses. When corrosion-resistant metallic alloys are exposed to corrosive agents occurring in water, they naturally evolve a thin protective surface oxide film. However, the necessary alloy composition to form a passivating film has remained elusive. We are developing analytical and numerical aqueous passivation models of binary alloys and validate them using multimodal experimentation, first-principles-based quantum mechanical models, and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. This knowledge will be used to guide models that inform the design of the next generation of corrosion-resistant metallic alloys.