Orateur
Description
The objective of my thesis is to investigate the effect of charged particle induced-radiolysis on the evolution of the passive film formed at the 316L stainless steel/electrolyte interface. This thin passive film (few nanometers thick) exhibits a duplex structure: an inner dense layer rich in chromium oxide, which ensures corrosion protection, and an outer amorphous layer of iron hydroxide containing bound water.
For this purpose, several experimental cells were developed and installed on multiple accelerator beamlines delivering 3 to 30 MeV protons and 10 MeV pulsed electrons. In situ electrochemical measurements are used to monitor the evolution of the redox potential and the properties of the passive film. The elemental analysis of this film, including H, Fe, Cr, and Ni, is complex due to its very small thickness and the fast kinetics of water radiolysis at the solid–liquid interface. The solid interface is characterized using XPS and IBA techniques.