The wet corrosion of molybdenum thin film part ll: Behavior at 85 °C

In the past few years there has been increased interest in molybdenum thin films, which are commonly prepared by magnetron sputtering. There is a variety of novel applications of molybdenum such as, for example, components for soft X-ray optics based on Mo/Si multi-layers, the back contact in thin film solar cells, NO gas detection, and microelectronics. Molybdenum is, also, widely used as an alloying addition in stainless steels to facilitate the formation of the passive film and to improve resistance to pitting attack. Its corrosion behaviour is complex and many aspects still need to be clarified. During this study, the corrosion behaviour of the PVD-Mo thin film immersed in aerated sulfate and chloride solutions at 85°C was investigated with both polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. It is apparent that the Mo thin film exhibits increased susceptibility to corrosion in more alkaline environments.