Effects of cathode current density on structure and corrosion resistance of plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings formed on ZK60 Mg alloy

摘要

Current density is a key factor in plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process. The aim of this paper is to study the effects of cathode current density on the composition, morphology, and corrosion resistance of ceramic coatings on ZK60 magnesium alloy prepared through bi-polar plasma electrolytic oxidation in Na_3PO_4 solution. The phase composition, morphology, and corrosion resistance were studied by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization in 3.5% NaCl solution. It is found that the as-produced coatings are only composed of MgO. The increase of cathode current density made the coatings less porous and more compact. Analysis of EIS and potentiodynamic polarization technique on the samples shows that the corrosion resistance of the coated samples is better than that of ZK60 magnesium alloy, and that a bigger cathode current density can improve the corrosion resistance of as-prepared coatings.