title: Interfacial valence electron localization and the corrosion resistance of Al-SiC nanocomposite.
abstract: Microstructural inhomogeneity generally deteriorates the corrosion resistance of materials due to the galvanic effect and interfacial issues. However, the situation may change for nanostructured materials. This article reports our studies on the corrosion behavior of SiC nanoparticle-reinforced Al6061 matrix composite. It was observed that the corrosion resistance of Al6061 increased when SiC nanoparticles were added. Overall electron work function (EWF) of the Al-SiC nanocomposite increased, along with an increase in the corrosion potential. The electron localization function of the Al-SiC nanocomposite was calculated and the results revealed that valence electrons were localized in the region of SiC-Al interface, resulting in an increase in the overall work function and thus building a higher barrier to hinder electrons in the nano-composite to participate in corrosion reactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2V4, Alberta, Canada.|School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, University College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, 14174, Iran.
authors.forename: Sareh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mosleh-Shirazi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2V4, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Guomin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.affiliation: School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, University College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, 14174, Iran.
authors.forename: Farshad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Akhlaghi
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, Shanxi, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xianguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2V4, Alberta, Canada.|School of Mechanical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, Shanxi, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dongyang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li