Characteristic of microarc oxidized coatings on titanium alloy formed in electrolytes containing aluminate and ZrO₂ particles

Microarc oxidation (MAO) is a relatively convenient and effective technique to deposit ceramic coatings on the surfaces of Al, Ti, Mg and their alloys. This technique can introduce various desired elements into titania-based coatings and produce various functional coatings with a porous structure. Microarc oxidized (MAO) TiO₂-based coatings on titanium alloy were formed in electrolytes containing aluminate and ZrO₂ particles. The phase composition of the samples was analyzed by glance-angle X-ray diffraction and the surface morphologies of the samples were observed by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, the element concentrations on the surfaces of the samples were measured by an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The experiment results indicated that: MAO coatings, which are porous structures and exhibit good interfacial bonding to the substrate, may possess specific surface structures such as crystal phase, non-equilibrium solid and complex mixed-compounds since complex plasma physical and chemical reactions.