FIB Application

Investigating Surface Corrosion on Stainless Steel: Painlessly Linking Surface Features to Subsurface Morphology

Keywords :
Corrosion Steel, Fib
  • fib_steel_car45140438.jpg
    fib_steel_car45140438.jpg
    Figure 1:FIB sectioning and imaging allow relatively rapid analysis of site-specific structures.
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Without the need for external specimen preparation, this FIB cross-section reveals the state of stainless steel after testing for several hours in a corrosive environment at 600°C. In this alloy, the corrosion products form only near to where iron grain boundaries intersect the surface of the specimen.

FIB sectioning and imaging allow relatively rapid analysis of site-specific structures. The "theater curtain" effect of vertical lines visible in the steel substrate can be avoided at the cost of additional sample preparation time. The sample above was further thinned to produce a TEM sample from the area previously imaged in the FIB, which was characterized extensively.

* Fibics thanks Dr. Ihsan Al-Taie of the Materials Technology Laboratory, Natural Resources Canada, for providing the stainless steel shown in this work.