On the dynamic passivity and corrosion resistance of a low cost and low density multi-principal-element alloy produced via commodity metals

Recent exploration of multi-principal-element alloys (MPEAs), which include the so-called high-entropy alloys, has revealed hitherto unreported properties and phenomena arising from investigation of broader compositional space. Herein, a low cost and lightweight alloy (equiatomic AlFeMnSi) is presented that exhibits exceptional corrosion resistance in 0.6 M NaCl solution, despite a multiphase structure and the absence of well-known passivating elements (such as Cr, Mo, Ti and Nb). In-line inductively-coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) analysis of alloy dissolution and angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS) of the surface film revealed that the alloy passivates by a unique mechanism involving dissolution–precipitation of Si. The dynamic precipitation of a Si hydroxide surface film results in excellent passivity of the alloy, revealing the possibility of developing low-cost corrosion-resistant alloys from metals available from waste streams.