Influence of nanoparticle additions to the electrolyte on the structure, composition and corrosion resistance of oxide layers formed by PEO on cast Mg alloy

Abstract The effect of various nanoparticles (NPs) added to the electrolyte on the composition, structure, and properties of oxide layers formed by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) on a cast magnesium alloy AZ81A was studied in this work. The oxide layers were obtained by alternating adding silicon dioxide SiO2, silicon nitride Si3N4, yttrium oxide Y2O3, tungsten carbide WC, and titanium carbide TiC NPs to the electrolyte. The obtained oxide layers were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), instrumental indentation and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP). The thickness, roughness, microhardness, adhesion and corrosion resistance of the oxide layers were determined. The greatest increase in the oxide layer thickness, in its hardness and corrosion resistance was observed for TiC and WC NPs added to the electrolyte during PEO. The addition of Si3N4 NPs leads to a decrease in the oxide layer thickness and its hardness, while the corrosion resistance is comparable to the one of the uncoated magnesium alloy.