THE ELECTROCHEMICAL BEHAVIOR OF Mg-Ce-Zn SYSTEM

In the present work, the electrochemical behavior of Mg-xCe-1Zn (x = 3, 8 and 13wt.%) alloys have been investigated. The alloys were fabricated by using a vacuum induction melting method under an argon atmosphere. Potentiodynamic polarization was carried out in 3.5% NaCl solution of pH 7.2 at room temperature to evaluate the corrosion properties of Mg-xCe-1Zn (x = 3, 8 and 13wt.%) alloys. The microstructure of the Mg-(3, 8 and 13wt.%)Ce-1Zn alloys were mainly consisted of α-Mg and eutectic Mg₁₂Ce phase. With the increase of Ce contents, the volume percent and size of the eutectic Mg₁₂Ce phase were increased. Results indicated that the corrosion rate of Mg-xCe-Zn alloy was increased by the excessive Ce addition.