Comparative study of the structure and corrosion behavior of Zr-20%Cr and Zr-20%Ti alloy films deposited by multi-arc ion plating technique

The primary focus of the present work was to perform comparative study of the structure as well as corrosion behavior of two Zr-rich alloy films, i.e. Zr-20%Cr and Zr-20%Ti, as well as metallic Ti, Cr and Zr films, formed by multi-arc ion plating technique. The required alloy film composition was obtained by co-deposition with proper choice of current for the targets of the constituent metals. The deposited alloy film composition was determined by energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) techniques, which were in close agreement with each other. The film thickness lied in the range of 550-620 nm. The crystal structure was studied by X-ray diffraction, which revealed the formation of nanocrystalline and semi-amorphous structures. The corrosion rates of the films were determined through weight loss measurement in 1 M, 6 M and 12 M hydrochloric acid (HCl) by ICP-AES analysis of the solution after immersion for 200-350 h. Anodic (potentiodynamic) polarization was also performed. Zr-20%Cr alloy film exhibited the best corrosion resistance, and its dissolution rate was less than 0.5 μm/year in 6 M HCl and about 4 μm/year in 12 M HCl.