Effect of impurities (carbon and manganese) on iron oxidation at high temperature: impurities-rare earth element (cerium) interactions

After oxidation of ceria coated iron specimens, (T = 700 C, pO2 = 0.04 Pa), cerium is located inside the wustite matrix as a CeFeO3 phase. The CeFeO3 formation is attributed to an oxido-reduction process between the CeO2 coating and the FeO nuclei at the beginning of the oxidation test. On ceria coated Fe-Mn-C steel samples, carbon and manganese impurities have a strong influence on the oxidation rate and on the rare-earth element location. After the coated steel oxidation, cerium is located at the scale-gas interface as a CeO2 phase and it is not incorporated inside the iron oxide scale. The role of each impurity is established : manganese prevents the formation of CeFeO3 because no contact between the reducing FeO germs and the oxidant CeO2 phase is permitted. This lack of contact is due to the high vapor pressure of manganese oxides which evaporate at the beginning of the reaction and promote the CeO2 coating spallation. On the other hand, carbon does not hinder the CeFeO3 formation but it always favours the wustite scale spallation after some hours oxidation, due to the carbon segregation in the metal at the steel-oxide interface. (orig.)