Ti-induced amorphous/nanocrystalline oxide films enabling high-potential SCC immunity to zirconium alloys in nitric acid
Abstract
To mitigate stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and improve the breakdown resistance of Zr alloys in high-temperature nitric acid, we developed a series of Zr-Ti alloys with varying Ti contents. Their mechanical and electrochemical properties were evaluated by slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) tests in 6 M HNO3 at 95 °C under both open-circuit potential (OCP) and a constant potential of 1.5 V conditions. While pure Zr exhibited brittle fracture and significant oxide thickening (∼96 μm) with severe cracking at 1.5 V, Zr702L (Zr-6Ti) maintained superior strength and ductility, forming only a nanoscale, crack-free oxide film. We found that the addition of Ti facilitated the formation of a dense hybrid oxide film composed of nanocrystalline ZrO2/TiO2 and an amorphous phase. Compared with other works, this composite structure ensured the preservation of the alloy's mechanical integrity while concurrently inhibited crack initiation and blocked the invasion of corrosive species. Our results highlight the critical role of Ti in stabilizing the oxide film and enhancing the SCC resistance of Zr alloys under aggressive electrochemical conditions.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
4-1-2026
Volume
261
Publication Title
Corrosion Science
Publisher
Elsevier
School
Centre for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing / School of Engineering
Funders
Innovation Capability Support Program of Shaanxi (2023KJXX-095, 2024ZG-GCZX-01(1)-07, 2024QY-SZX-05) / National Natural Science Foundation of China (52203383, 12205242) / Edith Cowan University (23965)
Copyright
subscription content
Comments
Liu, N., Liu, C., Wu, J., Xu, J., Liu, Y., Shen, Z., Zhang, L., & Zhang, Y. (2026). Ti-induced amorphous/nanocrystalline oxide films enabling high-potential SCC immunity to zirconium alloys in nitric acid. Corrosion Science, 261, 113606. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2026.113606