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Volume 16
Issue 5
10.3390/coatings16050628
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Structure and Properties of C/N-Containing Fe3O4 Oxide Films Prepared by Oxynitriding Treatment

by
Yue Yu
1,†,
Duo Ma
1,†,
Tong Zhang
1,*,
Yufei Wang
1,
Yupeng Wei
1,
Mingxuan Shi
1,
Yuquan Cai
2,
Meigui Cai
2,
Peisheng Li
3,
Yongfeng Xin
3 and
Jinquan Sun
1,*
1
College of Material Science and Technology, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266510, China
2
Yujie Bearing Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Liaocheng 252000, China
3
Shandong Shenggong Inspecting Technology Co., Ltd., Dongying 257029, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Coatings 2026, 16(5), 628; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16050628
Submission received: 28 April 2026 / Revised: 15 May 2026 / Accepted: 19 May 2026 / Published: 21 May 2026
Versions Notes

Abstract

In this study, C/N-containing Fe3O4 oxide films over an inner nitride layer were fabricated on 45# steel by oxynitriding to improve corrosion resistance in chloride-containing environments. The films exhibited a dense polyhedral structure, with nanoscale Fe3O4 precipitates at grain boundaries. Nitrogen and carbon were uniformly distributed within the oxide grains, inducing lattice expansion and modifying the Fe-O bonding environment. First-principles calculations based on C/N substitution models suggested that C/N incorporation may increase the unit cell volume, strengthen lattice bonding, and enhance the theoretical hardness of Fe3O4. The optimally doped films exhibited outstanding corrosion resistance, with a corrosion potential of 0.115 VSCE, a corrosion current density of 3.16 × 10−10 A/cm2 in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, and a corrosion-free lifetime of up to 3600 h in neutral salt spray testing. This superior performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of the compact single-phase magnetite layer, grain boundary precipitates, and modified electronic structure, which collectively inhibit chloride ingress and convert localized electrochemical attack into uniform corrosion. The experimental results are consistent with first-principles predictions, which clarified the mechanism of nitrogen doping in material corrosion protection from a mechanistic perspective.
Keywords: Fe3O4 oxide film; corrosion resistance; nitrogen and carbon doping; first-principle calculations Fe3O4 oxide film; corrosion resistance; nitrogen and carbon doping; first-principle calculations

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MDPI and ACS Style

Yu, Y.; Ma, D.; Zhang, T.; Wang, Y.; Wei, Y.; Shi, M.; Cai, Y.; Cai, M.; Li, P.; Xin, Y.; et al. Structure and Properties of C/N-Containing Fe3O4 Oxide Films Prepared by Oxynitriding Treatment. Coatings 2026, 16, 628. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16050628

AMA Style

Yu Y, Ma D, Zhang T, Wang Y, Wei Y, Shi M, Cai Y, Cai M, Li P, Xin Y, et al. Structure and Properties of C/N-Containing Fe3O4 Oxide Films Prepared by Oxynitriding Treatment. Coatings. 2026; 16(5):628. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16050628

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yu, Yue, Duo Ma, Tong Zhang, Yufei Wang, Yupeng Wei, Mingxuan Shi, Yuquan Cai, Meigui Cai, Peisheng Li, Yongfeng Xin, and et al. 2026. "Structure and Properties of C/N-Containing Fe3O4 Oxide Films Prepared by Oxynitriding Treatment" Coatings 16, no. 5: 628. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16050628

APA Style

Yu, Y., Ma, D., Zhang, T., Wang, Y., Wei, Y., Shi, M., Cai, Y., Cai, M., Li, P., Xin, Y., & Sun, J. (2026). Structure and Properties of C/N-Containing Fe3O4 Oxide Films Prepared by Oxynitriding Treatment. Coatings, 16(5), 628. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16050628

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