Influence of potential on structure and properties of microarc oxidation coating on Mg alloy

In order to obtain optimizing microarc oxidation coating on Mg alloy from a friendly-enviormental electrolyte free of Cr⁶⁺ and PO ₄ ³⁻ , constant potential regime was applied to produce it. The influence of potential on the morphology, composition, structure and other properties, such as microhardness and corrosion resistance were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), hardness tester and electrochemical method. The results clearly show that oxidation potential plays an important role in the formation of coating’s structure and properties. The microarc oxidation coating is smooth and white, which consists of two layers. The external layer is loose and porous and enriched in Al and Si. Moreover, its content of Al and Si increases with the increasing operated potential. While the inner layer is compact and the content of Al and Si are lower than that of the external layer. The coating is composed of several phases and the major phases are MgAl₂O₄ and MgO, and the minor phases are Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ when the potential is higher. The microhardness of coating is obtained the maximum at the potential of 45 V, so does the corrosion resistance.