Surface oxidation behavior of MgNd alloys

The oxidation kinetics of MgNd alloys oxidized in pure O2 at high temperatures has been investigated. The results revealed two stages of the reaction: A fast initial oxidation was followed by a slow oxide growth with a parabolic kinetics. For MgNd alloys (Nd = 25 wt.%), the oxidation rate increased with the enhancement of the oxidation temperature. A sudden ignition was found for this alloys oxidized at 873 K up to about 80 min. Moreover, the increase of the Nd content would harm the oxidation resistance of the MgNd alloys. By Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, it was found that a triplex structure of oxide film formed. The outer layer was composed of MgO, Nd2O3 and Nd(OH)3, the middle layer mainly consisted of MgO and Nd2O3, and the inner layer was the transitional layer made of MgO, Nd2O3 and the content of the substrate. The protective oxidation was associated with the formation of the dense Nd2O3/MgO layer during isothermal oxidation process. The oxidation mechanisms for the formation of oxide film are discussed.