Abstract
In this work, the formation and evolution of the rust layer on coarse-grained (25.0 µm) and ultrafine-grained (0.5 µm) weathering steels were investigated through wet/dry cyclic corrosion test in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, aiming to elucidate the synergistic effect of alloying elements Cr and Si on the corrosion resistance of weathering steel. Grain ultra-refinement enhances the electrochemical activity of weathering steel, leading to the co-enrichment of alloying elements Cr and Si within the rust layer in the form of a multilayered structure. The enrichment of Cr and Si within the rust layer results in the formation of multilayered Cr3+ and Si2+ compound oxides, which serve as an effective barrier against the permeation of corrosive media. In addition, the enrichment of alloying elements Cr within the rust layer facilitates the transformation of rust constituents into fine-grained α-FeOOH, contributing to the development of a stable, compact, and protective rust layer. Consequently, the rust layer formed on ultrafine-grained weathering steels exhibits excellent compactness and protectiveness, which enhances corrosion resistance and inhibits localized corrosion.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the support from the Natural Science Foundation of Henan (252300421537 and 252300420890), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52274362), the Doctoral Fund of Henan University of Technology (2023BS047), and Top notch Talent Cultivation Project of Henan University of Technology’s Innovative Talent Cultivation Program.
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Panjun Wang: Writing—original draft, methodology, data curation, and conceptualization. Yiyao Geng: Data curation. Hengkun Li: Data curation, conceptualization. Zhiwei Zhao: Writing—review & editing, funding acquisition. Xuequn Cheng: Writing—review & editing. Lingwei Ma: Formal analysis, Data curation. Xiaomiao Zhao: Data curation. Qiujun Hu: Data curation. Shun Wang: Formal analysis. Shuxuan Du: Data curation. Linheng Chen: Resources, Writing—review & editing. Dawei Zhang: Resources, conceptualization. Xiaogang Li: Supervision.
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The authors declare that they have no known financial competing interests. Xiaogang Li serves as an Editor of npj materials degradation but had no involvement in the peer review or decision-making process for this manuscript. Lingwei Ma serves as an Editorial Board Member of npj materials degradation and had no role in the peer review or decision to publish this manuscript. Dawei Zhang serves as an Associate Editor of npj materials degradation and had no involvement in the peer review or decision-making process for this manuscript. The remaining authors declare no competing financial or non-financial interests.
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Wang, P., Geng, Y., Li, H. et al. Grain ultra-refinement–induced multilayer co-enrichment of Cr and Si in the rust layer enhances corrosion resistance of weathering steel. npj Mater Degrad (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-026-00765-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-026-00765-0
