EFFECT OF CERIUM ION IMPLANTATION ON THE AQUEOUS CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF ZIRCONIUM

In order to study the influence of cerium ion implantation on the aqueous corrosion behavior of zirconium, specimens were implanted by cerium ions with a dosage range from 1×1016 to 1×1017 ions/cm2 at about 150℃, using MEVVA source at an acceler ative voltage of 40kV. The valence of the surface layer was analyzed by X-ray photo- electron spectroscopy (XPS); Three-sweep potentiodynamic polarization measurement was employed to value the aqueous corrosion resistance of zirconium in a 0.5mol/L H2SO4 solution. It was found that a remarkable decline in the aqueous corrosion behavior of zirconium implanted with cerium ions compared with that of the as-received zirconium. Finally, the mechanism of the corrosion resistance decline of the cerium-implanted zirconium is discussed.