Influence of electric parameters on MAO of AZ91D magnesium alloy using alternative square-wave power source

Micro-arc oxidation (MAO) process was carried out on AZ91D alloy in alkaline borate solution using an alternative square-wave power source with different parameters. The effects of voltage, frequency and duty cycle on the coatings were investigated by orthogonal experiment. It is found that the thickness of coatings increases with the increase of voltage and duty cycle, but decreases with the increase of frequency. The structure and morphology of the coatings also depend on voltage, frequency and duty cycle. The coatings become more porous and crack with increasing voltage and duty cycle. The coating is thin and transparent when the voltage is lower than 120 V. The corrosion resistances of different coatings were evaluated by polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 3.5% NaCl (mass fraction) solution. When the optimized values of voltage, frequency and duty cycle are 140 V, 2 000 Hz and 0.4, respectively, the anodic coating shows the best corrosion resistance.