Preparation of Al-Cr-Fe Coatings by Heat Treatment of Electrodeposited Cr/Al Composite Coatings

Al-Cr-Fe coatings have been widely used in the surface engineering field of materials, due to their excellent corrosion resistance to water vapor and fused salt deposits. In this study, a new two-step approach was developed to prepare Al-Cr-Fe coatings on surfaces of SUS430 stainless steels. First, the Cr/Al composite coatings were prepared by electrodepositing Cr from aqueous solution then electrodepositing Al from AlCl3-1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride (AlCl3-EMIC) ionic liquid on SUS430 stainless steel substrate. In the second, heat treatment of the Cr/Al composite coatings was carried out to acquire Al-Cr-Fe coatings. Effects of the thickness of Cr/Al composite coatings, the time and temperature of heat treatment on composition and phase structure of alloy layers were studied by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), backscattered electron (BSE), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The structure transformation process and formation mechanism of Al-Cr-Fe coatings were discussed.