A study of the corrosion behavior of gamma titanium aluminide in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution and seawater

Gamma titanium aluminide (γ-TiAl) was evaluated for corrosion resistance in 3.5% NaCl and seawater using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Polarization plots indicate very low corrosion rates although in both electrolytes the control samples lost passivity at low polarization potentials. Surface modification treatments were employed by oxidizing the samples in air at 500 °C and 800 °C with the purpose of improving corrosion resistance. While the surface treatments rendered γ-TiAl passive in the polarization experiments in both electrolytes, EIS tests showed that the oxide formed at 800 °C was not protective. EEC models are proposed to explain the EIS results for the three surface conditions tested.