Corrosion Characteristics of 304 Stainless Steel in Sodium Chloride and Sulfuric Acid Solutions

Abstract

Corrosion behavior of austenitic stainless steel 304 (SS) in various concentrations of H2SO4 and NaCl solutions was investigated using chemical and electrochemical techniques. Corrosion rate was measured by weight-loss and potentiodynamic polarization. The effects of acid concentrations and voltage scan rate were studied by cyclic voltammetry. Corrosion rate of 304 SS decreases with increasing NaCl concentrations. On the other hand, corrosion rate increasing with increasing the H2SO4 concentrations. The surface morphology was characterized by SEM. The elemental analysis was examined by EDX and the elemental distribution by mapping of the corroded 304 SS in different media.