CORROSION STUDY OF AISI 304 ON KOH, NaOH, AND NaCL SOLUTION AS AN ELECTRODE ON ELECTROLYSIS PROCESS

Abstract

AISI 304 is a kind of austenitic stainless steel that can be applied for various technologies. Since AISI 304 consists of chromium, nickel, and other materials, understanding the performance of this material is different from its parent material (i.e., iron oxide). Here, the purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of AISI 304 on various electrolyte solutions (i.e., KOH, NaOH, and NaCl). The electrolyte solution selection is an important parameter for getting high efficiency in the electrolysis process. To precisely investigate the effect of the electrolyte solution on the performance of AISI 304, several analyses were conducted: weight loss method measurement and scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The result showed that the AISI 304 had low corrosion rate in all electrolyte solution variations. The low corrosion rate of AISI 304 can be obtained due to the existence of chromium oxide which can be identified by EDS. During the immersion of AISI 304 into electrolyte solution, pitting corrosion in the microstructure level was formed, detected by the SEM analysis. This study confirmed that although there is some corrosion phenomenon, AISI 304 can be classified as a good candidate material to be applied in the process conducted in the either acid or basic conduction.

Keywords

• Corrosion rate
• Weight loss method
• AISI 304
• SEM
• EDS.