Study of Anticorrosion and Antifouling Properties of a Cu-Doped TiO2 Coating Fabricated via Micro-Arc Oxidation

As a promising material for petroleum industrial applications, titanium (Ti) and its alloys receive wide attention due to their outstanding physicochemical properties. However, the harsh industrial environment requires an antifouling surface with a desired corrosion resistance for Ti and its alloys. In order to achieve the desired antifouling properties, micro-arc oxidation (MAO) was used to prepare a Cu-doped TiO2 coating. The microstructure of the Cu-doped TiO2 coating was investigated by TF-XRD, SEM, and other characterization techniques, and its antifouling and anticorrosion properties were also tested. The results show the effects of the incorporation of Cu (~1.73 wt.%) into TiO2 to form a Cu-doped TiO2, namely, a Ti–Cu coating. The porosity (~4.8%) and average pore size (~0.42 μm) of the Ti–Cu coating are smaller than the porosity (~5.6%) and average pore size (~0.66 μm) of Ti–blank coating. In addition, there is a significant reduction in the amount of SRB adhesion on the Ti–Cu coating compared to the Ti–blank coating under the same conditions, while there is little difference in corrosion resistance between the two coatings. There, the addition of copper helps to improve the fouling resistance of TiO2 coatings without compromising their corrosion resistance. Our work provides a practical method to improve the antifouling function of metallic Ti substrates, which could promote the application of Ti in the petroleum industry.