Production of Nb-doped super duplex stainless steel based on recycled material: A study of the microstructural characterization, corrosion, and mechanical behavior

The corrosion behavior of a new Nb-doped stainless steel (SDSS-Nb) designed by the CALPHAD method, produced using an open atmosphere process based on recycled materials, was investigated to improve the circular economy. Three heat-treatment conditions were evaluated to assess the sensitization effects of the precipitates and inclusions. XRD and SEM-EDS were used for phase identification, and sensitization was analyzed by cyclic polarization and Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (SKPFM). The thermodynamic stability predicted by Thermo-Calc agrees with that observed by SEM-EDS. It was observed by cyclic polarization that the corrosion sensitization was mainly provided by the σ phase, which was deduced from the results obtained by SEM-EDS, XRD, and Thermo-Calc simulations. Furthermore, it was obtained that the sensitization due to Cr₂N precipitates and nonmetallic inclusions was low, and the mechanical response is comparable to commercial UNS32750 super duplex stainless steel, which allows a good performance in severe environments and an efficient industrial application. Additionally, it has been obtained by SKPFM that the shear potential between the σ phase and the austenite is between 210 mV and 241 mV and that its value depends on the stability and equilibrium reached by the σ phase during thermal cycling.