Effect of solution concentration on semiconducting properties of passive films formed on austenitic stainless steels

The semiconductor properties of passive films formed on AISI 316L in three acidic solutions were studied by employing Mott–Schottky analysis in conjunction with the point defect model (PDM). Based on PDM, the key parameters for passive film growth are the diffusivity and density of the defects within the film. The results indicated that donor densities are in the range 1–4 × 1021 cm−3 and increased with solution concentration. By assuming that the donors are oxygen ion vacancies and/or cation interstitials, the diffusion coefficient of the donors in three acidic solutions are calculated to be approximately 1–5 × 10−16 cm2/s.