>> Mn-based passivation is a counter-intuitive discovery, which cannot be explained by current knowledge in corrosion science.
This statement sounds like the type of language one uses when trying to get a patent.
This statement sounds like the type of language one uses when trying to get a patent.
However, "a counter-intuitive discovery" is true. Manganese is frequently used in stainless steels, but only as a cheap substitute for nickel, when this is considered as giving up the superior resistance to corrosion provided by nickel in exchange for the low cost provided by manganese.
The counter-intuitive result of the research is that there are circumstances when manganese provides improved corrosion protection, not only a lower cost.
The reason why this has not been discovered earlier is that manganese alone does not protect against corrosion, but only in an appropriate combination with chromium, when chromium protects both the steel and the manganese at lower electric potential differences, while manganese protects both the steel and the chromium at higher electric potential differences.
It is, however, incredibly tacky to talk about your research like this.