Study on Potentiodynamic Polarization Curves of Yttrium-Implanted Zirconium

Abstract:

Because of their excellent properties, zirconium and its alloys are often applied for engineering use in the nuclear industry, working as fuel cladding and core structural material. In the paper, the effect of yttrium implantation on the electrochemical behavior was studied by the measurement of potentiodynamic polarization curves. It was shown that corrosion resistance of zirconium in acid, temperate and alkaline solutions can be improved by yttrium implantation. The composition and the valence of the yttrium ions in the surface layer were analyzed by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and the mechanism of the corrosion resistance improvement of the yttrium-implanted zirconium was discussed.