Effect of the environment on the corrosion of EUROFER97 by solid lithium breeders

The results show a large interaction of the steel with the lithium ceramic breeder. The corroded samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and impedance techniques and analyzed with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and microprobe. The results indicated that a corrosion layer formed on the EUROFER97 being of complex nature that is noticeable even a few hours of testing. The process begins with the Fe-dealloying of the EUROFER97 producing a layer enriched in Cr, which seems to retard the corrosion attack.