Abstract
The effects of Niobium on the structure and properties(especially electric properties) of passive film of Zirconium alloys in pH 8.5 buffer solution are examined by the photo-electrochemical analysis. For Zr-xNb alloys (x = 0, 0.45, 1.5, 2.5 wt%), photocurrent began to increase at the incident energy of 3.5 ~ 3.7 eV and exhibited the $1^{st}$ peak at 4.3 eV and the $2^{nd}$ peak at 5.7 eV. From $(i_{ph}hv)^{1/2}$ vs. hv plot, indirect band gap energies $E_g{^1}$= 3.01~3.47 eV, $E_g{^2}$= 4.44~4.91 eV were obtained. With increasing Nb content, the relative photocurrent intensity of $1^{st}$ peak significantly increased. Compared with photocurrent spectrum of thermal oxide of Zr-2.5Nb, It was revealed that $1^{st}$ peak in photocurrent spectrum for the passive film formed on Zr-Nb alloy was generated by two types of electron transitions; the one caused by hydrous $ZrO_2$ and the other created by Nb. Two electron transition sources were overlapped over the same range of incident photon energy. In the photocurrent spectrum for passive film formed on Zr-2.5Nb alloy in which Nb is dissolved into matrix by quenching, the relative photocurrent intensity of $1^{st}$ peak increased, which implies that dissolved Nb act as another electron transition source.
