KTH finds corrosion is driven by an ultra-thin liquid lead film, which dissolves nickel and makes steel porous and weak.
A breakthrough study from KTH Royal Institute of Technology has quantified exactly how quickly and subtly liquid lead corrodes stainless steel, offering a data-driven path toward more durable nuclear reactor s.
The researchers report that corrosion is triggered by an invisible film of liquid lead just one micron thick, which accelerates metal loss to a staggering rate of several millimeters per year. These findings, published in Corrosion Science, suggest that while current alloys fail under these conditions, a new class of steels can withstand temperatures up to 800°C —far exceeding typical reactor operating conditions.The Numbers behind the decayThe study centers on AISI 316L, an austenitic stainless steel widely used in industry.“It is referred to as an austenitic stainless steel, on account of its high nickel content as well as chromium and other elements,” said the researchers in a press release.While 316L is prized for its mechanical strength, the KTH team discovered that its resistance collapses under specific conditions previously misunderstood by experts. The rapid deterioration rate—measured in millimeters annually rather than microns—is driven by that ultra-thin liquid film. This finding overturns the long-held assumption that a protective iron oxide layer forms first. Instead, the team found that the lead film causes the steel’s structure to disintegrate almost immediately upon contact.Nickel leaching and ‘Swiss cheese’ steelThe reason for this rapid structural failure lies in the interaction between the steel’s elements and the lead. Contrary to the belief that lead slowly infiltrates the metal, the study found that nickel atoms—which make up a significant portion of 316L—are highly soluble in liquid lead.The leaching process occurs when nickel atoms diffuse out of the steel and dissolve into the surrounding liquid lead. Following this diffusion, the remaining iron and chromium reorganize into a ferritic phase, but without the nickel, this new structure is weak and highly porous. Researcher Kin Wing Wong explains that this creates porous, lead-filled paths that are easily torn away by the flowing coolant. “Under flowing lead, these porous, lead-filled paths are easily torn away, dramatically accelerating material loss,” he remarked.This explains the unexpectedly high rate of material loss: the steel is essentially being hollowed out from the inside before being stripped away.Layered solution for future reactorsBecause this corrosion mechanism attacks the fundamental composition of austenitic steel, simply tweaking the alloy’s recipe is unlikely to produce a “corrosion-proof” material. Liquid lead will inevitably seep in and strip away the nickel. Instead, the KTH researchers propose a composite approach utilizing a new class of alumina-forming ferritic steels , developed at KTH by researcher Peter Szakálos.“When used together with conventional austenitic steels as layered materials, these materials could provide the long-lasting protection needed for tomorrow’s lead-cooled reactors,” Wong concluded.Unlike 316L, these FeCrAl steels form a self-healing alumina film that prevents the rapid dissolution observed in the study. This protective barrier proves resilient even at the extreme temperatures required for future power generation.
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