Effect of micro arc oxidation coatings on corrosion resistance of 6061-Al alloy

Abstract

In the present study, the corrosion behavior of micro arc oxidation (MAO) coatings deposited at two current densities on 6061-Al alloy has been investigated. Corrosion in particular, simple immersion, and potentiodynamic polarization tests have been carried out in 3.5% NaCl in order to evaluate the corrosion resistance of MAO coatings. The long duration (up to 600 h) immersion tests of coated samples illustrated negligible change in weight as compared to uncoated alloy. The anodic polarization curves were found to exhibit substantially lower corrosion current and more positive corrosion potential for MAO-coated specimens as compared to the uncoated alloy. The electrochemical response was also compared with SS-316 and the hard anodized coatings. The results indicate that the overall corrosion resistance of the MAO coatings is significantly superior as compared to SS316 and comparable to hard anodized coating deposited on 6061 Al alloy.