Effect of pulse time on surface characteristics and corrosion resistance during pulse electrochemical polishing

Pulse electrochemical polishing (PECP) was used to improve the mechanical properties, such as surface roughness and corrosion resistance, of conductive metallic materials. PECP can provide a smooth, bright, reflective, and deburred surface that exhibits superior corrosion resistance. In this work, stainless steel was used as the anode, and copper was used as the cathode due to their low electrical resistances. The surface roughness of the PECP sample was measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observe surface characteristics, and an Auger electron spectroscope (AES) was used to analyze the metallurgical composition and thickness of the passive film. The aim of this research was to compare the corrosion resistance rates of the unprocessed and PECP-processed stainless steel.