Properties of passive nano films on zircaloy-4 affected by defects induced by hydrogen permeation

In this work, hydrogen absorption and the permeation behavior of the passive layer formed on zircaloy-4 are investigated. Potentiodynamic polarization, Mott-Schottky analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Raman scattering spectroscopy are employed to characterize the passive defects before and after hydrogen permeation. It is found that the nanoscale passive ZrO₂ films play an important role in the resistance against corrosion; hydrogen impingement, however, reduces the passive impedance towards hydrothermal oxidation. The increase of defects (vacancies) in passive film is probably attributed to the degradation. We believe that this finding will provide valuable insight into the understanding of the corrosion mechanism of zircaloys used in light water reactors.