Surfaces of low carbon steel coupons were modified to have less than 1 ~m thick magnetite films containing aluminum or chromium cations and corrosion resistance of these samples were studied using polarization resistance measurements. Surface modification was done using a caustic solution at 148C for a few minutes of exposure and electrochemical testing was done using 0.05 M H2SO4 solution at room temperature. In addition, tensile testing was performed on these samples to assess possible degradation of mechanical properties of these coupons. Scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy were used for surface characterization and results showed that coupons with modified surfaces have higher polarization resistance with a minimal reduction in ductility.
KEYWORDS: Magnetite, low carbon steel, polarization resistance