Enhanced chloride ion corrosion resistance of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses with cobalt substitution

Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) exhibit good mechanical performance and excellent bio-compatibility. However, their high-tech application is limited due to that they are susceptible to chloride ion induced pitting corrosion. Herein, the corrosion behavior and the corresponding mechanism of the Zr₆₅Cu_17.5Al_7.5Ni_10-xCo_x (x = 0, 2, 4, 6) BMGs in the 3.5% NaCl solution were investigated. The Ni substitution by Co can contribute to significant improvements in the corrosion resistance of the Zr-Cu-Al-Ni BMG. The typical corrosion parameters such as the pitting potential and the pitting overpotential were increased from −199 and 40 mV (x = 0) to −78 and 117 mV (x = 6), respectively. Importantly, the corrosion current density was drastically decreased from 5.8 × 10⁻⁶ (x = 0) to 3.2 × 10⁻⁷ A/cm² (x = 6). The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results demonstrated a distinct increase of the charge transfer resistance from 1.8 × 10⁵ (x = 0) to 8.4 × 10⁵ Ω·cm² (x = 6). The elemental analysis indicated that the Co substitution could facilitate the formation of stable passivation layer against chloride ion corrosion.