Analyzing localized corrosion in ion-implanted metals via XPS/AES

A combined electrochemical/surface analysis approach coupled with the use o f ion-implanted samples has bern successfully used to study anodic processe s relevant to intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC). Interpretati on of the data and applying it to an understanding of IGSCC varies in compl exity and difficulty with the system under study. In some cases, there is a direct correspondence between composition and corrosion rates while, in ot hers, the chemistry is more complex and secondary processes become dominant under some conditions. Nevertheless, the use of this approach has proved v aluable, at the very least providing a qualitative understanding of the int erplay between oxidation of a metal and the chemistry of segregants ar grai n boundaries that has forwarded modeling efforts on IGSCC.