Corrosion behavior of 316L stainless steel in electronic special semiconductor HCl gas: influence of temperature, partial pressure and water vapor

Purpose This study aims to elucidate the effects of temperature, HCl partial pressure and water vapor on the corrosion mechanisms and particle release of 316L stainless steel (SS) in electronic special gas (ESG) environment and provide effective surface treatment methods to enhance the corrosion resistance of the steel under these conditions. Design/methodology/approach This study investigates the corrosion resistance and particle release characteristics of 316L SS subjected to four different surface treatment methods: mechanical grinding, mechanical polishing, electropolishing (EP) and nitric acid passivation (PA) in the ESG environment with different temperature, HCl partial pressure and water vapor content. Findings In an anhydrous HCl environment, corrosion is primarily driven by chemical reactions, with a monotonic increase in corrosion rates correlating with rising temperatures. Conversely, in moisturized HCl environments, the temperature exerts a significant influence on the formation of water films, which in turn affects the corrosion process. At low temperatures, the formation of water films facilitates intense electrochemical corrosion and increases particulate release. As temperatures reach intermediate levels, a reduction in corrosion intensity and particulate release is observed; at high temperatures, the difficulty of forming water microdroplets shifts the corrosion mechanism back to predominantly chemical processes, resulting in a slight resurgence in particulate release. Furthermore, increases in both HCl partial pressure and water vapor content are shown to accelerate corrosion rates and particulate release, exhibiting exponential or linear growth patterns. Particle analysis reveals that the released particulates predominantly consist of particles smaller than 0.1 µm. Notably, EP and PA have been demonstrated to significantly mitigate the release of these particulates. Originality/value This study provides data support for understanding the corrosion mechanism of 316L SS in ESG environment and proposes strategies to enhance its corrosion resistance.