Unveiling Temperature-Dependent Corrosion Behaviors of FeNiCrMoCBY Amorphous Alloy Coatings In Spent-Fuel Storage Environments

A comparative study was performed to elucidate the temperature-dependent corrosion kinetics and the semiconductor/structural characteristics of the passive film formed on Fe₄₀Ni₇Cr₁₇Mo₁₂C₁₃B₉Y₂ (at%) amorphous alloy coatings. The results indicate that increasing temperature accelerates the corrosion kinetics of the coating. Compared with the anodic reaction, the cathodic reaction exhibits higher temperature sensitivity, resulting in a positive shift of corrosion potential (E_corr) toward a more noble potential. Typical p–n type semiconducting behavior of the passive film persists at all tested temperatures. With increasing temperature, the compact inner layer of the passive film becomes thinner whereas the porous outer layer thickens markedly, resulting in an overall increase in film thickness from 3.86 to 5.36 nm. Meanwhile, elevated temperature increases defect density and reduces the electron work function of passive film from 4.44 to 4.34 eV, thereby diminishing the corrosion resistance of the obtained coatings. This work deepens the understanding of the temperature-dependent corrosion behavior in Fe-based amorphous coatings and provides valuable theoretical guidance for their applications in nuclear industry.