Corrosion mechanism and corrosion behavior prediction of Cu-10Ni-X alloys in NaCl solution combining DFT calculation and experiments

The corrosion resistance of Cu-Ni-based alloys depends on their Cu2O passivation film, and the effect of third element X is hardly characterized. The corrosion behavior and mechanisms of Cu-10Ni-X (Al, Fe, Mn, Cr, Sn, Ti, Zn) alloys in a 3.5% NaCl solution were systematically investigated combining DFT calculation and experiments. Both computational and experimental results revealed that except Ti, other elements could enhance the corrosion resistance of Cu2O passivation film, and the effect was ranked as Fe > Cr > Mn > Al > Sn > Zn. Based on DFT and experimental data, a corrosion behavior prediction model was established.