Volume 10 Issue 1 ( March 2023 )

Durability in terms of life is intended as a significant factor in developing advanced materials. The enrichment in corrosion resistance of the produced progressive material can be the solution. In the current study, a nanocomposite of aluminum 6061 and cerium oxide was prepared with a stir casting route reinforced in the range of 1-3 wt.%. The corrosion and microstructural behavior were observed under parametric conditions. The exposure time (36-180 hours), temperatures (room temperature, 45 ºC, and 75 ºC), and 2.5 wt.% of Sodium chloride (NaCl) and Sulphuric acid (H₂ So₄ ) solutions were chosen as parameters for examining the corrosion rate using the immersion test method. The lower corrosion resistance was noticed in aluminum metal matrix nanocomposites (AlMMNCs) reinforced with 3 wt.% of CeO₂ . The SEM analysis concluded voids, holes, clustering of particles, and debris kind of defects were observed in stir casting of AlMMNCs samples. The Pitting, fretting, and grain boundary corrosions were the primary degradation factors for corrosion behavior as evaluated from microstructural characteristics. The 0.116 has been observed as a significant corrosion rate in mm potential per year after 180 hours as exposure time at 75ºC in 2.5 wt.% NaCl solution.

Keywords: Al-6061, cerium oxide, stir casting, immersion test, morphology, corrosion.