Corrosion behavior and mechanism of 2Cr13 surgical instruments in NaClO disinfectant

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effect of available chlorine concentration on corrosion behavior of 2Cr13 in NaClO. Design/methodology/approach The corrosion rate was calculated by corrosion weight loss, and the evolutions of corrosion behavior of 2Cr13 in NaClO with different available chlorine concentrations were conducted by means of corrosion morphology observation, corrosion product analysis and electrochemical monitoring. Findings It was found that the exposure of 2Cr13 to NaClO resulted in pitting due to the detachment of carbides, and the increase of available chlorine concentration accelerated pitting corrosion. Additionally, the corrosion rate of 2Cr13 showed an increasing-decreasing-reincreasing trend in NaClO, which was attributed to the “destruction-repair-redestruction” process of passive film with the synergistic effect of Cl - and ClO - . Originality/value The discussion of corrosion behavior and mechanism of 2Cr13 in NaClO disinfectant can serve as a reference point for the study of the performance of metals in chlorine-containing solutions.