Prediction of hardmetal corrosion based on the binder response

For 100 years WC-Co has been the quintessential hardmetal, finding extensive application whenever high hardness and wear resistance are required. However, recent concerns regarding health and economic factors have motivated both industry and academia to explore alternative composites. Consequently, numerous hard phases and metallic binders are currently under evaluation. To expedite and streamline the development process, a crucial question arises: "Can the corrosion resistance of hardmetals be predicted based on the electrochemical behavior of their binders?". To help answer this question, this work compares the corrosion resistances of various hardmetal composites (WC-Co, WC-Ni, WC-CoNi, WC-CoCr, WC-NiCr, WC-CoNiCr, WC-NiCrMo, and WC-FeCoNi) to the corrosion resistances of binder analogues (Co, Ni, CoNi, CoCr, NiCr, CoNiCr, NiCrMo, and FeCoNi) in a 0.5 M NaCl solution using electrochemical techniques: open circuit potential monitoring, polarisation curves and galvanic current between WC and binder measured with zero resistance ammeter (ZRA).