Experimental and density functional studies on the corrosion behavior of the copper-nickel-tin alloy

► This copper-nickel-tin alloy showed excellent corrosion resistance in seawater without SRB, but SRB accelerated the corrosion process. ► Ni and Sn atoms affected clusters' equilibrium geometries, lowered the energy, and bimetallic clusters were more stable than monometallic ones. ► Combining the theoretical and experimental results, this alloy exhibited excellent corrosion resistance.