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Influence of anodic polarization products of NiCu low alloy steel in compacted bentonite on its corrosion behavior
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  • Published: 11 April 2026

Influence of anodic polarization products of NiCu low alloy steel in compacted bentonite on its corrosion behavior

  • Madhusudan Dhakal1,2,3,
  • Xin Wei1,2,
  • Hari Bhakta Oli1,2,4,
  • Xing Gao1,2,
  • Nan Chen1,
  • Qiying Ren1,
  • Junhua Dong1,2 &
  • …
  • Wei Ke1 

npj Materials Degradation , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

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  • Chemistry
  • Materials science

Abstract

The corrosion products of steel overpacks for high-level radioactive waste disposal significantly affect their cathodic depolarization behavior during corrosion and may even alter the depolarization mechanism. In this study, the anodic polarization products of NiCu low alloy steel were prepared by potentiostatic polarization in compacted bentonite with 20% and 40% water contents. Combined with the chemical composition, structure of corrosion products, and corrosion kinetic parameters, the influence mechanism of different anodic polarization products on the corrosion behavior of steel at open circuit potential was revealed. The results showed that the products formed under weak anodic polarization potentials were mainly Fe6(OH)12CO3 and Fe6(OH)12SO4. With rising polarization potential, Fe3O4, α-FeOOH, and Fe2O3·H2O emerged with increasing relative contents. Meanwhile, the residual Fe3C also accumulated in products. At open circuit potential, α-FeOOH, Fe2O3·H2O and Fe3C from strong polarization showed stronger cathodic depolarization and micro-galvanic effects than weak polarization-derived green rust, inducing a sharp drop in the cathodic and anodic polarization resistances of steel. Additionally, products formed in the 20% water content system at weak polarization resulted in lower polarization resistances than the 40% system, whereas the opposite trend occurred under strong polarization. The former was due to more abundant and easily diffused oxygen in unsaturated bentonite’s capillary pores, which oxidized green rust to α-FeOOH/Fe2O3·H2O and enhanced cathodic depolarization capacity. The latter was attributed to the loose and porous corrosion products formed under strong polarization potential when the water was sufficient, which decreased the inhibition on steel anodic dissolution.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article, and any additional data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52173304 and U1867216), and China Scholarship Council (No. 2018SLJ014508).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China

    Madhusudan Dhakal, Xin Wei, Hari Bhakta Oli, Xing Gao, Nan Chen, Qiying Ren, Junhua Dong & Wei Ke

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Shenyang, China

    Madhusudan Dhakal, Xin Wei, Hari Bhakta Oli, Xing Gao & Junhua Dong

  3. Department of Chemistry, Butwal Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Butwal, Nepal

    Madhusudan Dhakal

  4. Department of Chemistry, Amrit Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Hari Bhakta Oli

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M.D. conducted the investigation, performed the methodology and data analysis, handled the software, wrote the original draft of the manuscript; H.B.O., N.C., and Q.R. participated in the sample preparation, investigation, software handling, and data analysis; X.G contributed in the formal analysis and software; X.W. and J.D. conceived the project, provided supervision and validation, reviewed and edited the manuscript, and provided funding acquisition; W.K. contributed in visualization. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Dhakal, M., Wei, X., Oli, H.B. et al. Influence of anodic polarization products of NiCu low alloy steel in compacted bentonite on its corrosion behavior. npj Mater Degrad (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-026-00782-z

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  • Received: 10 December 2025

  • Accepted: 24 March 2026

  • Published: 11 April 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-026-00782-z

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