Insight into the beneficial effect of rare earth Ce on corrosion resistance of weathering steels in simulated industrial environment

In this work, a novel weathering steel was manufactured through rare earth Ce microalloying. Cyclic immersion corrosion test, combined with XRD, XPS, TEM and corrosion monitoring technology were employed to clarify the dynamic influence and underlying mechanism of Ce on corrosion resistance. The beneficial effects of Ce on corrosion resistance of weathering steels were comprehensively explored. It revealed that minor addition of Ce can significantly improve the corrosion resistance of weathering steels, and the effect is more evident with the increase of Ce content within the range of 0.002–0.074 %. Ce can improve the corrosion resistance of weathering steels from multiple aspects.