The effect of constant electric field on zirconium oxidation by supercritical CO2

Resumo

The oxidation of zirconium by supercritical CO₂ (20.2 and 14.1 MPa, and 823 K) results in the formation of a layer of the monoclinic ZrO₂ and amorphous carbon. In the constant electric field (E = 293 kV/m) when a sample of zirconium is the anode, the formation of amorphous carbon leads to a growth of leakage current and a twelve-fold increase in the rate of zirconium oxidation.