On determining the effect of surface-active elemental segregation on the oxide/metal interface: Atomic-scale analysis via HR-TEM

A mechanism for the effect of a surface-active element, namely Sb, on the bonding between an external oxide layer and a ferrous substrate was determined. It was found that Sb segregation at the external oxide/substrate interface resulted in decreased stability of the interfacial region. This was attributed to an increase in the atomic spacing near the interface in the Fe-xMn-0.03Sb (at%) alloys arising from Sb segregation, which led to the …