Chemical study of passivating chromium oxide films by soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Abstract

Chromium oxide coatings deposited on stainless-steel surfaces were studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) using synchrotron radiation. Migration of manganese from the steel substrate into the film was found to be significant when γ-Cr₂O₃ was developed by thermal treatment of an originally amorphous coating. The passivating efficiency of the film was then largely improved. The presence of other oxidation states of chromium was not confirmed by XAS.