AES and SAM studies of oxide formation on Inconel 600 at high temperatures

Characterization of the oxide formed on a Ni-based alloy (Inconel 600) at high temperatures has been carried out using AES and SAM combined with ion-etched depth profiling. The oxidation experiment was done at 1000 o C, in atmospheric air and under mild (H 2 /H 2 O) oxidation conditions. In air, the resulting surface is highly inhomogeneous, featuring large Ni-rich islands on top of a continuous Cr-rich oxide layer. When the oxygen partial pressure (H 2 /H 2 O) was lowered, the Ni-rich layer was not formed