Electrochemical study on the corrosion behaviour of a new low-nickel stainless steel in carbonated alkaline solution in the presence of chlorides

An electrochemical study was performed on a low-nickel stainless steel (SS) in order to evaluate its corrosion behavior. The conventional AISI 304 SS was also studied for comparative proposes. A carbonated alkaline solution was used as electrolyte. The effect of carbonation and the combined effect of carbonation and the presence of chloride ions were studied. The low-nickel SS exhibited similar corrosion behavior to the conventional AISI 304 SS with corrosion potential and polarization resistance of the same order while the pitting potential were slightly lower. Corrosion current density supported these results with very similar values between the two studied SSs.