Comparison of the oxidation of high-sulfur Ni-25Cr-5Al alloys in as-cast and as-sputtered states

To understand the effect of sulfur on the oxidation of nanocrystalline (NC) alloys, a high-sulfur alloy having a chemical composition similar to a coarse-grained (CG) cast alloy of Ni-25Cr-5Al-1S (wt.%) was fabricated using magnetron sputtering. The oxidation of the two alloys in isothermal and cyclic conditions in air at 1000 °C shows that the alumina scale formed on the cast alloy was susceptible to spallation, whereas the alumina scale on the sputtered alloy was intrinsically adhesive. The result indicates that the nanocrystallization of alloys helps to eliminate the detrimental “sulfur effect” on oxidation, through minimizing the segregation of sulfur to the scale/alloy interface.