Amorphous coatings deposited on aluminum alloy by plasma electrolytic oxidation

Amorphous [Al-Si-O] coatings were deposited on aluminum alloy by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). The process parameters, composition, micrograph, and mechanical property of PEO amorphous coatings were investigated. It is found that the growth rate of PEO coatings reaches 4.44μm/min if the current density is 0.9 mA/mm^2. XRD results show that the PEO coatings are amorphous in the current density range of 0.3 - 0.9 mA/mm^2. EDS results show that the coatings are composed of O, Si and A1 elements. SEM results show that the coatings are porous. Nano indentation results show that the hardness of the coatings is about 3 - 4 times of that of the substrate, while the elastic modulus is about the same with the substrate. Furthermore, a formation mechanism of amorphous PEO coatings was proposed.