Influence of applied frequency on microstructural and electrochemical characteristics of ceramic coating produced on Al-Mg alloy by pulsed plasma electrolytic oxidation

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coating is gaining attention as a promising surface treatment technique for lightweight metals and alloys such as Al, Mg and Ti. The coating involves complex interactions among various process parameters including substrate composition, current modes and electrolyte composition. In this study, ceramic coating was produced in silicate based alkaline solution on Al-Mg alloy by pulsed PEO with different applied frequencies (100, 500, 1000, 2000 Hz). The resultant coating was characterized using FE-SEM, EDS and HR-XRD. The electrochemical characteristics of the PEO coating were also investigated in seawater solution. It was found that changing frequency in the PEO process had a prominent effect on both surface and cross-sectional morphology of the coating. The electrochemical studies indicated that the pulsed PEO have improved the corrosion resistance of the Al-Mg substrate. In particular, the applied frequency of 100 Hz has produced one order of magnitude lower corrosion current density than that of the Al-Mg substrate.