This grant explores passivation behavior in metal alloys, applying ex-situ and in-situ measuring techniques to determine the nature of highly passive films and the role of alloying in improving the resistance of such films to degradation. In-situ experiments are applied to passive layers undergoing breakdown. The role of hydrogen, the structure of the passive layer, and effects of alloying elements on passive layer behavior are determined. Sophisticated X-ray techniques are employed in this research, including grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) reflectivity as a function of incident photon energy and angle.
