Oxidation and dissolution behavior of FeCrNiAl based high entropy alloy and alumina-forming austenitic steel exposed to lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE)

Developing corrosion-resistant alloys is essential for the application of lead-cooled fast reactors. Herein, two types of FeCrNiAl alloys (high entropy alloy, HEA and alumina forming austenitic steel, AFA) are fabricated and their long-term corrosion (up to 3000 h) in lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) at high temperature are investigated. Both alloys illustrate oxidation and dissolution behaviors, a Cr-Al enriched layer forms on AFA and the B2-NiAl phase in HEA demonstrates outstanding oxidation resistance and stability in LBE. This work offers guidelines for alloy design, especially optimizing the phase distribution of new nuclear materials that to be used in LBE.