Contribution to the understanding of the parabolic oxidation mechanism of dilute alloys. Part I: Oxides with metal excess or oxygen deficit

Concerning the parabolic oxidation of alloys with a low content of a different valence element, we show that the Wagner-Hauffe valence approach contains some inaccuracies. This paper is devoted to the growth of an oxide MO with metal excess or oxygen deficit. The analytical processing consists in solving the differential equation connecting the point defect flux to the oxygen pressure. This equation has been solved analytically in the case where the foreign-element concentration is very high compared to that of the point defects in the pure oxide. On this assumption with a lower-valence dopant, as long as the oxide conductivity remains essentially electronic, the oxidation is limited only by the transport of ionic defects across the scale under the electric-potential gradient. Moreover, an increase of the dopant concentration may lead to an oxide exhibiting partial ionic conductivity. Consequently, the parabolic constant variations as a function of the dopant concentration is not monotonic, contrary to results published before. With a higher-valence dopant, the conductivity always remains electronic, and this result agrees with predictions based on the Wagner Hauffe approach, though the demonstrations are fundamentally different.