Effects of Al2O3 Nano-additive on Performance of Micro-arc Oxidation Coatings Formed on AZ91D Mg Alloy

Ceramic coatings were prepared on AZ91D Mg alloy by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) in aluminate electrolytes, with Al2O3 nano-additive suspending at different concentrations. Effects of nano-additive concentration on the structure, phase composition, hardness and anti-corrosion property of the MAO coatings were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, micro-hardness test and electrochemical method, respectively. The results revealed that Al2O3 nano-particles were mostly incorporated into ceramic coating chemically, transferred into MgAl2O4, rather than being trapped mechanically during MAO process. With the increase of Al2O3 concentration, the voltage-time response, content of MgAl2O4, hardness and anti-corrosion property increased. However, when the concentration varied from 10 g/L to 15 g/L, these behaviors and properties changed only a little. This result indicated that, after the concentration of Al2O3 nano-additive reaching 10 g/L, the incorporation of Al2O3 nano-particles turned into a saturation state, due to the complex process during MAO treatment. Therefore, 10 g/L might be a proper concentration for MAO coating to incorporate Al2O3 nano-particles.