Use of a solid-state oxygen pump to study oxidation kinetics of Cr and Mo

A new method for measuring the amounts of oxygen consumed during the oxidation of metals was recently developed for oxidation kinetic studies. This method uses a Pt|ZrO2 (Y2O3)|Pt solid-state oxygen pump, based on electrochemical principles, and is especially suitable for alloy systems where oxidation rates are difficult to measure with mass-gain methods. The oxidation kinetics of pure chromium and molybdenum have been studied using this new method. The results show that this method has clear advantages over the traditional thermogravimetric methods in assessing the actual oxidation rates of Cr and Mo, which form volatile oxide species depending on temperature and oxygen pressure