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Rapid Determination of α- and θ-Alumina Concentrations in Heat-Resistant Alloys Using Cathodoluminescence Analysis

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Abstract

Among oxide scales, α-alumina (α-Al2O3) is the most stable and protective oxide against high-temperature oxidation and corrosion. α-Al2O3 forms on heat-resistant alloys by replacing a metastable θ-Al2O3, which provides poor oxidation resistance. Thus, determining the concentration of θ-Al2O3 is critical for evaluating the performance of heat-resistant alloys. Herein, the author developed a method to determine the concentrations of θ-Al2O3 and α-Al2O3 in oxide scales on the surface of heat-resistant alloys from the emission intensities of the peaks of α-Al2O3 (694.2 nm) and θ-Al2O3 (683.4 nm) observed in cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra. The concentrations of θ-Al2O3 and α-Al2O3 on β-NiAl heated at 1000 °C agreed with those estimated from the peak intensities of α-Al2O3 and θ-Al2O3 in the XRD patterns. This method can also be applied to areas ranging from the millimeter to micrometer scale and provide a short acquisition time (< 10 s), enabling the rapid determination of the durability and performance of heat-resistant alloys.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support for the present study was provided by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 22H01837. The author thanks to Prof. Xiao Xu (Tohoku University) for the preparation of β-NiAl rod.

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  1. Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan

    Susumu Imashuku

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Imashuku, S. Rapid Determination of α- and θ-Alumina Concentrations in Heat-Resistant Alloys Using Cathodoluminescence Analysis. High Temperature Corrosion of mater. 100, 145–156 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11085-023-10178-y

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