By Shengqiang Ma

 Liquid metals with low melting point possess excellent thermal conductivity, irradiation resistance and nuclear safety, which makes them more attracted. However, the issue attacked violently by liquid metal corrosion is extensively covered in many applications, such as the equipment corrosion in nuclear industry cooling system, the corrosion of components in hop-dipping galvanization, the erosion in slurry pump, the corrosion of liquid metal cell and the casting die corrosion. In theses corrosion system, interface adhesion plays an key role in protective interface reaction films of materials. Meanwhile, interface film penetrability and dissolution reaction directionally determine and control the interface behaviors of mass transfer process. Previous studies mainly focused on the changes of corrosive medium environments or concentrated on the adjusting alloying elements of the metal materials to control the corrosion resistance of materials, which omits the significant influence of interface microstructure of films on material performance.

Accordingly, the researchers of Xi'an Jiaotong University in their work aim to the corrosion resistance of a directionally solidified Fe-B alloy in liquid zinc and devote to the microstructural two-phase synergistic effects of the alloys to generate a multiphase pinning interfacial film with protectively pinning effect by delicately controlling the interface micro-structures of the reaction films as a breakthrough point. The formation of multiphase pinning interfacial film completes the direct intervention of interface adhesion and mass transfer process through the films, which accomplishes the control of the prolonged service life and duration of materials in aggressive liquid metal corrosion. The present work provides an studying idea and theoretical support on the aspects of the "interface-performance" relationship.

The work was published in Acta Materialia and Dr. Shengqiang Ma is the first and corresponding author. The work was also funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) with grant Nos. 51301128 & 51271142 and the National Science Foundation for Post-doctoral Scientists of China (2013T60875).

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