Enhanced corrosion resistance of AISI 304 stainless steel via atmospheric glazing of boron nitride thin films

Conventional synthesis of protective boron nitride (BN) films typically relies on high-vacuum systems, rendering them unsuitable for on-site maintenance of stainless steel infrastructure. To address this limitation, this study proposes a facile atmospheric glazing technique utilizing a boron-rich precursor to fabricate BN films on AISI 304 stainless steel under ambient pressure. The films were thermally grown at varying temperatures to determine optimal growth conditions. Structural characterization using grazing-incidence wide-angle x-ray scattering (GIWAXS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the successful formation of polycrystalline h-BN layers with uniform spatial distribution. The results demonstrated that the film processed at 475 °C yielded superior surface properties, achieving a hydrophobic water contact angle (WCA) of 96.2° and a low average surface roughness (Ra) of 0.24 μm. Electrochemical testing revealed a significant enhancement in corrosion resistance; the pitting potential (Epit) increased to 1.738 V (an improvement of 0.841 V over the as-received substrate), while the corrosion rate decreased by 92.16%. These findings suggest that this low-temperature, atmospheric glazing process offers a practical and scalable alternative for applying corrosion-resistant h-BN coatings in field repair and industrial maintenance applications.