Investigation of the growth processes of coatings formed by AC plasma electrolytic oxidation of aluminium

Fractional-Order Electrical Modeling of Aluminum Coated via Plasma Electro-Oxidation and Thermal Spray Methods to Optimize Radiofrequency Medical Devices

Active medical devices rely on a source of energy that is applied to the human body for specific purposes such as electrosurgery, ultrasounds for breaking up kidney stones (lithotripsy), laser irradiation, and other medical techniques and procedures that are extensively used. These systems must provide adequate working power with a commitment not to produce side effects on patients. Therefore, the materials used in these devices must effectively transmit energy, allow for security control, sense real-time variations in case of any issues, and ensure the implementation of closed-loop systems for control. This work extends to the experimental data adjustment of some different coating techniques based on plasma electro-oxidation (PEO) and thermal spray (TS) using fractional-order models. According to the physical structure of the coating in different coating techniques, Cole family models were selected. The experimental data were obtained by means of a vector network analyzer (VNA) in the frequency spectrum from 0.3 MHz to 5 MHz. The results show that some models from the Cole family (the single-dispersion model and inductive model) offered a goodness of fit to the experimental impedance in terms of RMSE error and a squared error R2 close to unity. The use of this type of fractional-order electrical model allows an adjustment with a very small number of elements compared to integer-order models, facilitating its use and a consequent reduction in instrumentation cost and the development of control devices that are more robust and easily miniaturized for embedded applications. Additionally, fractional-order models allow for more accurate assessment in industrial and medical applications.

The Effects of the Pre-Anodized Film Thickness on Growth Mechanism of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Coatings on the 1060 Al Substrate

To increase the density of the micro-arc oxide coating, AA 1060 samples were pretreated with an anodic oxide film in an oxalic acid solution. Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) was performed to investigate the effect of the thickness of the pre-anodic oxide film on the soft-sparking mechanism. The experimental results revealed that the PEO coating phases with different thicknesses of the pre-anodized films contained both Al and gamma-alumina (γ-Al2O3). The pre-anodized film changes the final morphology of the coating, accelerating the soft sparking transition and retaining the soft sparking. At a pre-anodized film thickness of ≤7.7 μm, the anodized films thickened before being broken through. When the pre-anodized film thickness was ≥13.1 μm, partial dissolution of the anodized films occurred before they were struck through. Two growth mechanisms for PEO coatings with different pre-anodized film thicknesses were proposed.

Cleaning Strategies of Synthesized Bioactive Coatings by PEO on Ti-6Al-4V Alloys of Organic Contaminations

The effect of various cleaning methods on coating morphology and their effectiveness in removing organic contaminants has been studied in this research. Bioactive coatings containing titanium oxides and hydroxyapatite (HAP) were obtained through plasma electrolytic oxidation in aqueous electrolytes and molten salts. The cleaning procedure for the coated surface was performed using autoclave (A), ultraviolet light (UV), radio frequency (RF), air plasma (P), and UV-ozone cleaner (O). The samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an EDS detector, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray phase analysis (XRD), and contact angle (CA) measurements. The conducted studies revealed that the samples obtained from molten salt exhibited a finer crystalline structure morphology (275 nm) compared to those obtained from aqueous electrolytes (350 nm). After applying surface cleaning methods, the carbon content decreased from 5.21 at.% to 0.11 at.% (XPS), which directly corresponds to a reduction in organic contaminations and a decrease in the contact angle as follows: A > UV > P > O. This holds true for both coatings obtained in molten salt (25.3° > 19.5° > 10.5° > 7.5°) and coatings obtained in aqueous electrolytes (35.2° > 28.3° > 26.1° > 16.6°). The most effective and moderate cleaning method is ozone treatment.

High voltage nanosecond pulse generator based on pseudospark switch and diode opening switch

With the development of technology, low-temperature plasma plays an increasingly important role in industrial applications. The industrial application of low-temperature plasma has the following requirements for plasma, high electron energy, low macroscopic temperature, and uniformity. Low-temperature plasma driven by nanosecond pulses reflects more significant advantages in these aspects compared to direct current plasma and alternating current plasma. In this paper, a simple topology is proposed, which is based on the pseudospark switch and the diode opening switch. A pulse generator is developed, which can eventually output pulses with an amplitude of 106 kV, a rise time of 15.5 ns, a pulse width of 46 ns, and a maximum repetition rate of 1 kHz on a 260 Ω resistive load. The pulse generator can successfully drive needle-plate discharge plasma in ambient air. It has excellent parameters, stability, compactness, and a long lifetime. The proposed topology may be helpful for nanosecond pulse generators with amplitude ranging from tens to hundreds of kilovolts, which could be widely used in industry.

Single Dense Layer of PEO Coating on Aluminum Fabricated by “Chain-like” Discharges

Reducing the loose-layer-to-dense-layer ratio in PEO coatings on aluminum and its alloys is the key to improving their corrosion resistance and expanding their applications in the aerospace industry and other fields. In this paper, we describe the discharge evolution during the PEO process in exhaustive detail and report the appearance of a novel “chain-like” discharge for the first time. We investigated the microstructure and composition of PEO coatings using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and an X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The results reflected that the coating composition changed from amorphous Al₂O₃ to crystalline γ-Al₂O₃ and α-Al₂O₃ phases with the evolution of the plasma spark discharge state. We evaluated the electrochemical behavior of the coatings using a potentiodynamic polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Under “chain-like” discharge, the icorr of the coating on Al was 8.564 × 10^–9 A∙cm⁻², which was five orders of magnitude lower than that of the sample without the PEO coating. Moreover, we evaluated the adhesion strength of the coatings at different stages using a pull-off test. The adhesion strength of the PEO coatings at stage V reached 70 MPa. Furthermore, the high content of α-Al₂O₃ increased the hardness of the coating to 2000 HV. Therefore, the “chain-like” discharge promoted the formation of a single dense layer with 2.8% porosity and that demonstrated excellent properties. We also propose a mechanism to explain the influence of the plasma spark discharge state on the microstructure and composition of the PEO coatings.

Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) Process-Processing, Properties, and Applications

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is a novel surface treatment process to produce thick, dense metal oxide coatings, especially on light metals, primarily to improve their wear and corrosion resistance. The coating manufactured from the PEO process is relatively superior to normal anodic oxidation. It is widely employed in the fields of mechanical, petrochemical, and biomedical industries, to name a few. Several investigations have been carried out to study the coating performance developed through the PEO process in the past. This review attempts to summarize and explain some of the fundamental aspects of the PEO process, mechanism of coating formation, the processing conditions that impact the process, the main characteristics of the process, the microstructures evolved in the coating, the mechanical and tribological properties of the coating, and the influence of environmental conditions on the coating process. Recently, the PEO process has also been employed to produce nanocomposite coatings by incorporating nanoparticles in the electrolyte. This review also narrates some of the recent developments in the field of nanocomposite coatings with examples and their applications. Additionally, some of the applications of the PEO coatings have been demonstrated. Moreover, the significance of the PEO process, its current trends, and its scope of future work are highlighted.

Adhesion and Corrosion Resistance of Micro-Arc Oxidation/Polyurethane Composite Coating on Aluminum Alloy Surface

The adhesion and bonding performance of waterborne polyurethane (PU) coating on aluminum alloy surface was improved in this study. To achieve this objective, the effects of different sodium silicate concentrations on the aluminum alloy micro-arc oxidation (MAO) layer and the adhesion strength and corrosion resistance of MAO-PU composite coating before and after modification by MAO treatment of the 7050 aluminum alloy were studied. The experimental results showed that the modification of the MAO membrane layer by a silane coupling agent could significantly improve the adhesion strength and corrosion resistance of the composite coating. Moreover, the maximum adhesion strength was obtained when the concentration of sodium silicate was 12 g L−1.

Introduction to Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation—An Overview of the Process and Applications

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO), also called micro-arc oxidation (MAO), is an innovative method in producing oxide-ceramic coatings on metals, such as aluminum, titanium, magnesium, zirconium, etc. The process is characterized by discharges, which develop in a strong electric field, in a system consisting of the substrate, the oxide layer, a gas envelope, and the electrolyte. The electric breakdown in this system establishes a plasma state, in which, under anodic polarization, the substrate material is locally converted to a compound consisting of the substrate material itself (including alloying elements) and oxygen in addition to the electrolyte components. The review presents the process kinetics according to the existing models of the discharge phenomena, as well as the influence of the process parameters on the process, and thus, on the resulting coating properties, e.g., morphology and composition.

Corrosion and Wear Behavior of PEO Coatings on D16T Aluminum Alloy with Different Concentrations of Graphene

The effect of added graphene concentration on the microstructure, phase composition, corrosion- and wear- resistance of plasma electrolyte oxidation (PEO) coatings formed on D16T aluminum alloy in silicate electrolyte with different concentrations of graphene were investigated. The results show that the morphologies of the coatings with graphene were obviously different ascribed to the mode of graphene incorporated into the coating. The coatings consisted of mainly α-Al2O3, γ-Al2O3, and Al, which were divided into an outer porous layer and a dense inner layer. The thickness of the coatings increased non-linearly with graphene concentration. The corrosion resistance of the coatings with graphene was significantly improved. The wear resistance of the coatings was also greatly improved apart from the coating with 3 g/L graphene. The coating produced in the electrolyte with 2 g/L graphene exhibited the optimal comprehensive properties because graphene successfully incorporated into the coating via the pores and spread on the surface of the coating.

Microstructure and Wear Properties of Micro Arc Oxidation Ceramic Coatings

The interaction effect of micro arc oxidation (MAO) parameters on the microstructure and wear properties was investigated. The results showed that the electric current and oxidation time significantly influenced the thickness and grinding crack width of the ceramic coatings within the range of the selected parameters, and the interaction effect of the electrical parameters was not obvious. The surface morphology, cross-section morphology, and element distribution of the coatings were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that ceramic coatings with γ-Al2O3 and α-Al2O3 formed, which enhanced the coating performance. After that, the microhardness and wear resistance were tested. Under the optimal process, the microhardness of a coating section was up to 1200 HV0.1, and the friction coefficient was just 0.3. When wear occurred, the volcanic microstructures experienced extrusion and deformation, and then peeled off under shear stress, which led to the formation of a grinding crack. The main failure modes of the micro arc oxidation coatings were abrasive wear and spalling failure.

LDH Post-Treatment of Flash PEO Coatings

This work investigates environmentally friendly alternatives to toxic and carcinogenic Cr (VI)-based surface treatments for aluminium alloys. It is focused on multifunctional thin or flash plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO)-layered double hydroxides (LDH) coatings. Three PEO coatings developed under a current-controlled mode based on aluminate, silicate and phosphate were selected from 31 processes (with different combinations of electrolytes, electrical conditions and time) according to corrosive behavior and energy consumption. In situ Zn-Al LDH was optimized in terms of chemical composition and exposure time on the bulk material, then applied to the selected PEO coatings. The structure, morphology and composition of PEO coatings with and without Zn-Al-LDH were characterized using XRD, SEM and EDS. Thicker and more porous PEO coatings revealed higher amounts of LDH flakes on their surfaces. The corrosive behavior of the coatings was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The corrosion resistance was enhanced considerably after the PEO coatings formation in comparison with bulk material. Corrosion resistance was not affected after the LDH treatment, which can be considered as a first step in achieving active protection systems by posterior incorporation of green corrosion inhibitors.

The Influence of PSA Pre-Anodization of AA2024 on PEO Coating Formation: Composition, Microstructure, Corrosion, and Wear Behaviors

In the frame of the current work, it was shown that plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) treatment can be applied on top of phosphoric sulfuric acid (PSA) anodized aluminum alloy AA2024. Being hard and well-adherent to the substrate, PEO layers improve both corrosion and wear resistance of the material. To facilitate PEO formation and achieve a dense layer, the systematic analysis of PEO layer formation on the preliminary PSA anodized layer was performed in this work. The microstructure, morphology, and composition of formed PEO coatings were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES). It was shown that under constant current treatment conditions, the PSA layer survived under the applied voltage of 350 V, whilst 400 V was an intermediate stage; and under 450 V, the PSA layer was fully converted after 5 min of the treatment. The comparison test with PEO formation on the bare material was performed. It was confirmed that during the “sparking” mode (400 V) of PEO formation, the PEO coatings, formed on PSA treated AA2024, were more wear resistant than the same PEO coatings on bare AA2024.

Novel Porous Phosphorus⁻Calcium⁻Magnesium Coatings on Titanium with Copper or Zinc Obtained by DC Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation: Fabrication and Characterization

In this paper, the characteristics of new porous coatings fabricated at three voltages in electrolytes based on H₃PO₄ with calcium nitrate tetrahydrate, magnesium nitrate hexahydrate, and copper(II) nitrate trihydrate are presented. The SEM, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and XRD techniques for coating identification were used. It was found that the higher the plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) (micro arc oxidation (MAO)) voltage, the thicker the porous coating with higher amounts of built-in elements coming from the electrolyte and more amorphous phase with signals from crystalline Ca(H₂PO₄)₂∙H₂O and/or Ti(HPO₄)₂∙H₂O. Additionally, the external parts of the obtained porous coatings formed on titanium consisted mainly of Ti4+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and PO₄3-, HPO₄2-, H₂PO₄-, P₂O₇4- as well as Zn2+ or copper Cu⁺/Cu2+. The surface should be characterized by high biocompatibility, due to the presence of structures based on calcium and phosphates, and have bactericidal properties, due to the presence of zinc and copper ions. Furthermore, the addition of magnesium ions should accelerate the healing of postoperative wounds, which could lead to faster patient recovery.

Decoration of an inorganic layer with nickel (hydr)oxide via green plasma electrolysis

In this study, we describe the green plasma electrolysis of a magnesium alloy in alkaline electrolyte to produce a hybrid inorganic layer with nickel (hydr)oxide incorporated in a matrix of magnesium oxide, and investigate the electrochemical and optical properties of this material. The addition of Ni(NO₃)₂·6H₂O to the electrolyte reduced the size of the micro-defects found in the inorganic layer after plasma electrolysis by inducing soft plasma discharges. As a result, through cyclic voltammetry and polarization tests, the corrosion stability of the sample containing nickel (hydr)oxide was significantly enhanced. Measurement of the optical properties reveals that the material possesses excellent energy efficiency as indicated by a high solar absorptivity of ∼0.92 and a low infrared emissivity of ∼0.13 which are presumably due to the inherent dark-brown colour of nickel (hydr)oxide. We expect that these results will have implications in the development of functional materials with excellent optical and corrosion properties by considering green processing utilizing alkaline electrolyte.

Nickel (hydr)oxide decorating MgO matrix via green plasma electrolysis exhibited high solar absorbance but low infrared emissivity.

The Role of Cathodic Current in Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation of Aluminum: Phenomenological Concepts of the "Soft Sparking" Mode

A comprehensive analysis of experimental data relating to so-called "soft sparking" mode of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) has been undertaken. The transition to the soft sparking mode is accompanied by a number of characteristic effects, such as a decrease in anodic voltage, acoustic and light emission, increase in hysteresis in transient current-voltage curves, improved uniformity of the discharge distribution on the surface, disappearance of atomic lines, and development of continuous radiation in the optical emission spectra. An explanation of the main features of PEO process operated under soft sparking conditions is proposed assuming the existence of a specific narrow region in the coating thickness, where the main anodic voltage drops. Because of high electric field in this "active zone", both anodic oxidation of the metal substrate and high-energy processes may take place. According to this assertion, the soft sparking mode of PEO is caused by cathodic polarization (a) eliminating the potential barrier at the oxide-electrolyte interface due to local acidification and (b) increasing electric field at the metal-oxide interface during subsequent anodic half-cycle due to narrowing of low-conductive part within the active zone. Based on this consideration, it is possible to account for the main characteristic phenomena accompanying the PEO process on aluminum under alternating polarization.

Soft plasma electrolysis with complex ions for optimizing electrochemical performance

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) was a promising surface treatment for light metals to tailor an oxide layer with excellent properties. However, porous coating structure was generally exhibited due to excessive plasma discharges, restraining its performance. The present work utilized ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and Cu-EDTA complexing agents as electrolyte additives that alter the plasma discharges to improve the electrochemical properties of Al-1.1Mg alloy coated by PEO. To achieve this purpose, PEO coatings were fabricated under an alternating current in silicate electrolytes containing EDTA and Cu-EDTA. EDTA complexes were found to modify the plasma discharging behaviour during PEO that led to a lower porosity than that without additives. This was attributed to a more homogeneous electrical field throughout the PEO process while the coating growth would be maintained by an excess of dissolved Al due to the EDTA complexes. When Cu-EDTA was used, the number of discharge channels in the coating layer was lower than that with EDTA due to the incorporation of Cu2O and CuO altering the dielectric behaviour. Accordingly, the sample in the electrolyte containing Cu-EDTA constituted superior corrosion resistance to that with EDTA. The electrochemical mechanism for excellent corrosion protection was elucidated in the context of equivalent circuit model.

Effects of ultrasound on the evolution of plasma electrolytic oxidation process on 6061Al alloy

The plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process of 6061Al alloy was carried out under the conditions with and without the assistance of ultrasound, respectively. The effects of ultrasound on the evolution of voltage, micro-discharge, morphology and composition of PEO coatings were investigated. The results show that ultrasound can greatly decrease the dielectric breakdown voltage of the coatings, increase the number of micro-discharges while decrease their average size, promote the evolution of micro-discharges, decrease the number and the average size of residual discharge pores in the coatings after 30min of the process, promote the homogeneous distribution of elements and the formation of α-Al2O3 and 3Al2O3⋅2SiO2 in the coatings.

Effect of Anodic Current Density on Characteristics and Low Temperature IR Emissivity of Ceramic Coating on Aluminium 6061 Alloy Prepared by Microarc Oxidation

High emitter MAO ceramic coatings were fabricated on the Al 6061 alloy, using different bipolar anodic current densities, in an alkali silicate electrolyte. We found that, as the current density increased from 10.94 A/dm2 to 43.75 A/dm2, the layer thickness was increased from 10.9 μm to 18.5 μm, the surface roughness was increased from 0.79 μm to 1.27 μm, the area ratio of volcano-like microstructure was increased from 55.6% to 59.6%, the volcano-like density was decreased from 2620 mm−2 to 1420 mm−2, and the γ-alumina phase was decreased from 66.6 wt.% to 26.2 wt.%, while the α-alumina phase was increased from 3.9 wt.% to 27.6 wt.%. The sillimanite and cristobalite phases were around 20 wt.% and 9 wt.%, respectively, for 10.94 A/dm2 and approximately constant around 40 wt.% and less than 5 wt.%, respectively, for the anodic current densities 14.58, 21.88, and 43.75 A/dm2. The ceramic surface roughness and thickness slightly enhanced the IR emissivity in the semitransparent region (4.0–7.8 μm), while the existing phases contributed together to raise the emissivity in the opaque region (8.6–16.0 μm) to higher but approximately the same emissivities.

An electron microscopical study on the growth of TiO2-Ag antibacterial coatings on Ti6Al7Nb biomedical alloy

This research was aimed at investigating the growth mechanism of TiO(2)-Ag antibacterial coatings during plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) of Ti6Al7Nb biomedical alloy in an electrolyte based on calcium acetate/calcium glycerophosphate bearing Ag nanoparticles. The focus was on the mechanism of incorporation of Ag nanoparticles, their distribution and chemical composition within the porous coatings using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging techniques combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) for chemical analyses. The PEO coatings were grown using different oxidation times, 10, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 300 s. The electron microscopy results confirmed the formation of a porous coating with incorporated Ag nanoparticles from the initial stages of oxidation (i.e. 10 s), with further Ag incorporation as the PEO process was continued for longer durations. The Ag nanoparticles were embedded in the dense oxide layer, fused into the pore walls and on the surface of the coatings without any change in their morphology or chemistry as detected by HRTEM, SEM and EDX. Ag seems to be delivered to the sites of coating growth (where dielectric breakdown occurs) through different transport pathways, i.e. open pores, cracks and short-circuit channels.