title: A general strategy for the ultrafast surface modification of metals.
abstract: Surface modification is an essential step in engineering materials that can withstand the increasingly aggressive environments encountered in various modern energy-conversion systems and chemical processing industries. However, most traditional technologies exhibit disadvantages such as slow diffusion kinetics, processing difficulties or compatibility issues. Here, we present a general strategy for the ultrafast surface modification of metals inspired by electromigration, using aluminizing austenitic stainless steel as an example. Our strategy facilitates the rapid formation of a favourable ductile surface layer composed of FeCrAl or β-FeAl within only 10 min compared with several hours in conventional processes. This result indicates that electromigration can be used to achieve the ultrafast surface modification of metals and can overcome the limitations of traditional technologies. This strategy could be used to aluminize ultra-supercritical steam tubing to withstand aggressive oxidizing environments.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Corrosion and Protection of Metals, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 62 Wencui Road, 110016 Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Mingli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Corrosion and Protection of Metals, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 62 Wencui Road, 110016 Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Shenglong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Corrosion and Protection of Metals, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 62 Wencui Road, 110016 Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Fuhui
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang