Influence of voltage waveform on anodic film of AZ91 Mg alloy via plasma electrolytic oxidation: Microstructural characteristics and electrochemical responses
By Ko, Young Gun; Lee, Eung Seok & Shin, Dong Hyuk
Published in Journal of Alloys and Compounds
2014
Abstract
The present study investigated how the voltage waveform influenced the microstructural characteristics and electrochemical responses of the anodic film on AZ91 Mg alloy coated by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). PEO coatings of AZ91 Mg alloy were performed for 600 s in an alkaline silicate electrolyte with respect to the voltage waveform such as half-sine and asymmetric-sine waveforms. Microstructural observations on cross section of the anodic film utilizing scanning electron microscope revealed that the anodic film formed via asymmetric-sine wave was much denser in structure than that via half-sine counterpart since the occurrence of the cathodic breakdown between the anodic pulses could effectively suppress the formation of the micro-pores and discharge channels in the anodic films. Thereby, the hardness and corrosion properties of the anodic film formed by asymmetric-sine wave were found to be superior to those by half-sine wave. In addition, electrochemical responses were interpreted in relation to the equivalent circuit model consisting of resistor and capacitor elements within an electrical cell.