Optical modeling of nickel-base alloys oxidized in pressurized water reactor

The knowledge of the aging process involved in the primary water of pressurized water reactor entails investigating a mixed growth mechanism in the corrosion of nickel-base alloys. A mixed growth induces an anionic inner oxide and a cationic diffusion parallel to a dissolution–precipitation process forms the outer zone. The in situ monitoring of the oxidation kinetics requires the modeling of the oxide layer stratification with the full knowledge of the optical constants related to each component. Here, we report the dielectric constants of the alloys 600 and 690 measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry and fitted to a Drude–Lorentz model. A robust optical stratification model was determined using focused ion beam cross-section of thin foils examined by transmission electron microscopy. Dielectric constants of the inner oxide layer depleted in chromium were assimilated to those of the nickel thin film. The optical constants of both the spinels and extern layer were determined.

► Spectroscopic ellipsometry of Ni-base alloy oxidation in pressurized water reactor ► Measurements of the dielectric constants of the alloys ► Optical simulation of the mixed oxidation process using a three stack model ► Scattered crystallites cationic outer layer; linear Ni-gradient bottom layer ► Determination of the refractive index of the spinel and the Cr2O3 layers