| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1661083 | Surface and Coatings Technology | 2009 | 5 Pages |
The influence of microstructure on the corrosion behavior of pulsed plasma nitrocarburized AISI H13 tool steel in NaCl 0.9 wt/V % solution is reported. The samples were prepared with different nitrocarburizing treatment times using a constant [CH4/H2 + N2] gaseous mixture by a DC pulsed plasma system. The microstructure of the nitrocarburized layers was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction. The corrosion behavior was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization experiments. The nitrocarburizing process considerably improves the corrosion resistance of the material in a NaCl environment as compared to the untreated H13 steel. The modified surface layer mainly consisting of ε-Fe2–3(C,N) and γ′-Fe4N phases confers this outstanding behavior. The corrosion resistance dependence on specific nitrocarburizing processes is reported and the role of the surface porosity is discussed.
