Austenitic stainless-steel alloys are widely used as structural components in light water reactors (LWR) coolant systems, due to their passivity in high temperature water solutions. After initial passivation, subsequent development and dissolution rates of the protective film are very low. Nevertheless, metal cations and colloidal particles that are generated by superficial corrosion of structural materials, can be activated and generate radioactive isotopes that are responsible for radiation source as they circulate through the reactor core. Specifically, the radioactive 60Co, generated by neutron activation of the inactive 59Co (constituent of the naturally occurring Co), releases high-energy γ rays with a half-life of 5.3 years and is the main radiation source in boiling water reactor plants. Mitigating the incorporation of 60Co into stainless-steel oxide depends on understanding the phenomenon of oxide growth and development as a
function of the water chemistry employed, which involves thermodynamic and kinetic considerations.