Investigating the microstructures and properties of Mg-Al LDH film-coated Mg-Li alloy: Effect of hydrothermal temperature

Magnesia-alumina layered double hydroxide (Mg-Al LDH) films grown in situ on LA43M magnesium-lithium (Mg-Li) alloy were synthesized utilizing the hydrothermal method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the surface morphologies, composition, and phase of the Mg-Al films. The corrosion resistance of the Mg-Al films was estimated via immersion experiment and hydrogen evolution test, and the tribological properties were investigated using tribological wear tests. The results showed that the thickness of the Mg-Al LDH film enhanced, and the size of the LDH sheets increased as the hydrothermal temperature raised, resulting in the improvement of the corrosion and wear resistance. When the hydrothermal temperature reached 110°C, interlayer anions were loaded the most, and the film achieved the optimal thickness. The Mg-Al LDH film had the optimum corrosion resistance and tribological properties. At this point, the weight loss of the film was 1.3560 mg·cm^–2, and the average friction coefficient was .149. It demonstrated that synthesizing Mg-Al LDH at a hydrothermal temperature of 110°C was an effective approach to improve the corrosion resistance of LA43M.