Quantitative Model for Passivity of Metals

摘要

The practical usage of many metal alloys, such as stainless steels, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, and nickel-based corrosion resistant alloys, relies on the presence of an extremely thin (range of a few nanometers) naturally-formed metal oxide or oxy-hydroxide surface layer to provide resistance to corrosion. Such layers are called passive films and the phenomenon of passivity has been studied since the mid-1800s when none other than Michael Faraday revealed the wonders by which passive films can act.