On the High-Temperature Oxidation of Cu-Rich Cu-Ni Alloys

Cu-2 wt.%Ni and Cu-5wt.%Ni were oxidized at 800to 1050°C and oxygen pressures from from 5 ×10-4 to 1 atm. The oxidation, as measured bythermogravimetry, was approximately parabolic. The oxidescales could be divided in two main regions: An outerregion consisting of copper oxides and an inner porousregion, which consists of Cu2O with dispersedNiO particles. NiO particles exists as internal-oxide particles. The interface between the two layersreflects the original surface, which shows that theouter part grows by outward Cu diffusion via vacancies.The inner part grows by outward diffusion of copper and inward transport of gaseous oxygen by thedissociative-transport mechanism. The amount ofporosity, the relative thickness of the inner layercompared to the total thickness of the scale, and theoxidation rate as a function of Ni content was dependenton the reaction conditions.