Property of anodic coatings obtained in an organic, environmental friendly electrolyte on aluminum alloy 2024-T3

•Anodic coatings can be formed on 2024-T3 in a sodium phytate-containing solution.•The corrosion resistance of the anodized aluminum alloys is improved.•The obtained coatings are mainly composed of α-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3.•Sodium phytate took part in the coating formation.

Anodic coatings were obtained by micro arc oxidation on aluminum alloy 2024-T3 in a solution containing only 10 g/L sodium phytate. The morphology, composition, structure and corrosion resistance of anodic coatings were systematically investigated. The results show that the working voltage continually increases during 3 min and bright sparks appear after 25 s. Anodic coatings are evenly formed on the substrate and about 2 μm thick. XPS and XRD analyses reveal that the obtained coatings are mainly composed of α-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3. Compared with the substrate, the corrosion resistance of the anodized aluminum alloys is improved.