Corrosion behaviour of steel in the presence of Y(III) salts: Kinetic and mechanistic studies

The corrosion resistance of carbon steel after deposition of yttrium rich (hydr)oxide films on its surface was evaluated as a function of the Y(III) concentration in the solution, the immersion time and the presence of oxygen. During film formation in an aerated solution, two different cathodic reactions are involved: oxygen reduction and water reduction.The rate of oxygen reduction is lowered, whereas water reduction is activated in the presence of Y(III) in the solution. In the absence of oxygen, activated water reduction gets the main cathodic reaction, leading to polarization resistance values which are lower in the presence than in the absence of Y(III) ions.