Electrochemical corrosion behaviors of Ti ₃ SiC ₂ /Cu composites in a 3.5% NaCl solution

Abstract The electrochemical corrosion behaviors of Ti ₃ SiC ₂ /Cu composite and polycrystalline Ti ₃ SiC ₂ in a 3.5% NaCl medium were investigated by dynamic potential polarization, potentiostat polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The polycrystalline Ti ₃ SiC ₂ was tested on the identical condition as a control. The characterizations of XRD, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and energy‐dispersive spectrometer were used to study the relevant passivation behavior and corrosive mechanism. The self‐corrosion current density of Ti ₃ SiC ₂ /Cu (6.46 × 10 ⁻⁶ A/cm ² ) was slightly higher than that of Ti ₃ SiC ₂ (1.64 × 10 ⁻⁷ A/cm ² ). Under open circuit potential, the corrosion resistance of Ti ₃ SiC ₂ /Cu was better than that of Ti ₃ SiC ₂ . Ti ₃ SiC ₂ /Cu exhibited a typical passivation feature with a narrow passivation interval and a breakdown phenomenon. The better corrosion resistance of Ti ₃ SiC ₂ was due to the more stable Si layer of the former. In comparison, for Ti ₃ SiC ₂ /Cu composites, Cu reacted with the reactive Si layers in Ti ₃ SiC ₂ to form Cu–Si compounds and TiC, destroying the weak interaction between Si layers and Ti–C layers. In the other hand, the as‐formed Cu–Si compounds and TiC dissolved during the corrosion of Ti ₃ SiC ₂ /Cu in the 3.5% NaCl medium, causing to the destruction of the passivation film on its surface.