The anodic reactions of amorphous Ni-P alloys prepared by electroless plating were compared with pure Ni in 6 M KOH. The structure and surface components of Ni-P alloys before and after cyclic voltammetry (CV) scan were verified by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The CVs of Ni and Ni-P show many differences. Their CV properties are compared in different potential regions. The variation of the total anodic charge density suggests that the corrosion resistance of Ni is superior to that of amorphous Ni-P alloy in 6 M KOH under potential polarization. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.