Corrosion-fatigue properties of plasma-based low-energy nitrogen ion implanted AISI 304Â L austenitic stainless steel in borate buffer solution

AISI 304 L austenitic stainless steel was modified by using the plasma-based low-energy nitrogen ion implantation (PBLEII) at a process temperature of 400 °C for a processing time of 4 h in order to improve the corrosion-fatigue resistance of the austenitic stainless steel. A single high-nitrogen face-centered-cubic phase (γN) layer with a maximal nitrogen concentration of about 25 at.% was formed on the nitrogen-modified austenitic stainless steel. Compared with the original austenitic stainless steel, the γN phase layer on the austenitic stainless steel possessed a significant improvement in corrosion resistance in the borate buffer solution with a pH value of 8.4. The corrosion-fatigue properties of the γN phase layer on the austenitic stainless steel were examined by the push-pull fatigue experiments with a ratio R of tensile and compression of − 1 in the borate buffer solution. The γN phase layer has an increased corrosion-fatigue strength up to 230 MPa from 180 MPa of the original austenitic stainless steel with an apparent increase of about 28%. The corrosion-fatigue crack initiation in the γN phase layer was found as a controllable stage in the fracture process at the interface between the γN phase layer and the austenitic stainless steel matrix with the arc corrosion-fatigue source. Some tiny corrosion-fatigue striations were obtained on the corrosion-fracture surfaces of the γN phase layer. The high density of slip bands and dislocations in the γN phase layer was able to prevent the crack initiation and propagation, leading to improvement of the corrosion-fatigue properties in the borate buffer solution.