Characterization of Manganese Oxide-Enriched Surface Layers of Fe-Mn Alloys

Alloying elements are added to steel for improving surface properties such as corrosion resistance. The alloying elements exhibit different chemical characters, and they are often enriched to the surface of the alloys during annealing at high temperatures. In this study, depth-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements were carried out using a two-dimensional detector with geometrical arrangement of grazing exit in detection of fluorescence X-ray emitted from sample surface, in order to characterize the enrichment and oxidation of manganese on the surface layers of an Fe-Mn alloy annealed under low oxygen partial pressure. This technique facilitates non-destructive measurement for characterizing the compositional distribution of manganese in the depth direction. The results showed that manganese was enriched to surface layers of the Fe-Mn alloys during annealing at high temperatures and formed as manganese oxide. The preferential oxidation of manganese by annealing under low oxygen partial pressure is considered the driving force for their enrichment on the alloy surface.