TEM investigations of the oxide layers formed on a 316L alloy in simulated PWR environment

Atomic scale observations of the oxide formed on stainless steels, under simulated nuclear reactor conditions, are performed to estimate the oxide layer contribution on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) mechanisms. A duplex oxide composed of a chromium enriched inner layer (Fe1.5Cr1.5O4) and an outer layer composed of magnetite crystallites (Fe3O4) is found. The oxide layer structure evolves from amorphous, for oxidation times of 1 min, to …