Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO), also known as electrolytic plasma oxidation (EPO) or microarc oxidation (MAO), is an

electrochemical Electrochemistry is the branch of physical chemistry concerned with the relationship between electrical potential difference and identifiable chemical change. These reactions involve electrons moving via an electronically conducting phase (typi ...

surface treatment Surface finishing is a broad range of industrial processes that alter the surface of a manufactured item to achieve a certain property. Finishing processes may be employed to: improve product appearance, adhesion or wettability, solderability, ...

process for generating

oxide An oxide () is a chemical compound containing at least one oxygen atom and one other element in its chemical formula. "Oxide" itself is the dianion (anion bearing a net charge of −2) of oxygen, an O2− ion with oxygen in the oxidation st ...

coatings A coating is a covering that is applied to the surface of an object, or substrate. The purpose of applying the coating may be decorative, functional, or both. Coatings may be applied as liquids, gases or solids e.g. powder coatings. Paints and ...

metals A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. These properties are all associated with having electrons available at the Fermi level, as against no ...

. It is similar to anodizing, but it employs higher

potentials Potential generally refers to a currently unrealized ability, in a wide variety of fields from physics to the social sciences. Mathematics and physics * Scalar potential, a scalar field whose gradient is a given vector field * Vector potential ...

, so that discharges occur and the resulting plasma modifies the structure of the oxide layer. This process can be used to grow thick (tens or hundreds of micrometers), largely

crystalline A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...

, oxide coatings on metals such as

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

and

titanium Titanium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

. Because they can present high

hardness In materials science, hardness (antonym: softness) is a measure of the resistance to plastic deformation, such as an indentation (over an area) or a scratch (linear), induced mechanically either by Pressing (metalworking), pressing or abrasion ...

and a continuous barrier, these coatings can offer protection against

wear Wear is the damaging, gradual removal or deformation of material at solid surfaces. Causes of wear can be mechanical (e.g., erosion) or chemical (e.g., corrosion). The study of wear and related processes is referred to as tribology. Wear in ...

corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...

or heat as well as

electrical insulation Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

. The coating is a chemical conversion of the substrate metal into its

, and grows both inwards and outwards from the original metal surface. Because it grows inward into the substrate, it has excellent

adhesion Adhesion is the tendency of dissimilar particles or interface (matter), surfaces to cling to one another. (Cohesion (chemistry), Cohesion refers to the tendency of similar or identical particles and surfaces to cling to one another.) The ...

to the substrate metal. A wide range of substrate alloys can be coated, including all wrought aluminum alloys and most cast alloys, although high levels of silicon can reduce coating quality. The coating morphology and composition resulting from plasma electrolytic oxidation is largely dependent on the PEO parameters, including voltage, current density, and the electrolytic solution employed.

Process

Metals such as aluminum naturally form a passivating oxide layer which provides moderate protection against corrosion. The layer is strongly adherent to the metal surface, and it will regrow quickly if scratched off. In conventional anodizing, this layer of oxide is grown on the surface of the metal by the application of electrical

potential Potential generally refers to a currently unrealized ability. The term is used in a wide variety of fields, from physics to the social sciences to indicate things that are in a state where they are able to change in ways ranging from the simple r ...

, while the part is immersed in an acidic

electrolyte An electrolyte is a substance that conducts electricity through the movement of ions, but not through the movement of electrons. This includes most soluble Salt (chemistry), salts, acids, and Base (chemistry), bases, dissolved in a polar solven ...

. In plasma electrolytic oxidation, higher

are applied. For example, in the plasma electrolytic oxidation of aluminum, at least 200 V must be applied. This locally exceeds the dielectric breakdown potential of the growing oxide film, and discharges occur. These discharges result in localized plasma reactions, with conditions of high temperature and pressure which modify the growing oxide. Processes include melting, melt-flow, re-solidification,

sintering Sintering or frittage is the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by pressure or heat without melting it to the point of liquefaction. Sintering happens as part of a manufacturing process used with metals, ceramics, plas ...

and densification of the growing oxide. One of the most significant effects, is that the oxide is partially converted from

amorphous In condensed matter physics and materials science, an amorphous solid (or non-crystalline solid) is a solid that lacks the long-range order that is a characteristic of a crystal. The terms "glass" and "glassy solid" are sometimes used synonymousl ...

alumina Aluminium oxide (or aluminium(III) oxide) is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen with the chemical formula . It is the most commonly occurring of several aluminium oxides, and specifically identified as aluminium oxide. It is commonly ...

into crystalline forms such as

corundum Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide () typically containing traces of iron, titanium, vanadium, and chromium. It is a rock (geology), rock-forming mineral. It is a naturally transparency and translucency, transparent material, but ...

(α-Al₂O₃) which is much harder. As a result, mechanical properties such as

resistance and

toughness In materials science and metallurgy, toughness is the ability of a material to absorb energy and plastically deform without fracturing.electrolyte An electrolyte is a substance that conducts electricity through the movement of ions, but not through the movement of electrons. This includes most soluble Salt (chemistry), salts, acids, and Base (chemistry), bases, dissolved in a polar solven ...

which usually consists of a dilute

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...

solution such as KOH. It is electrically connected, so as to become one of the

electrodes An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte, a vacuum or a gas). In electrochemical cells, electrodes are essential parts that can consist of a variety ...

in the

electrochemical cell An electrochemical cell is a device that either generates electrical energy from chemical reactions in a so called galvanic cell, galvanic or voltaic cell, or induces chemical reactions (electrolysis) by applying external electrical energy in an ...

, with the other "counter-electrode" typically being made from an inert material such as

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

, and often consisting of the wall of the bath itself. Potentials of over 200 V are applied between these two electrodes. These may be continuous or pulsed

direct current Direct current (DC) is one-directional electric current, flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor (material), conductor such as a wire, but can also flow throug ...

(DC) (in which case the part is simply an

anode An anode usually is an electrode of a polarized electrical device through which conventional current enters the device. This contrasts with a cathode, which is usually an electrode of the device through which conventional current leaves the devic ...

in DC operation), or alternating pulses (

alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current that periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time, in contrast to direct current (DC), which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in w ...

or "pulsed bi-polar" operation) where the stainless steel counter electrode might just be earthed.

Coating properties

One of the remarkable features of plasma electrolyte coatings is the presence of micro pores and cracks on the coating surface. Plasma electrolytic oxide coatings are generally recognized for high hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. However, the coating properties are highly dependent on the substrate used, as well as on the composition of the electrolyte and the electrical regime used (see 'Equipment used' section, above). Even on aluminium, the coating properties can vary strongly according to the exact

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which in most cases at least one is a metal, metallic element, although it is also sometimes used for mixtures of elements; herein only metallic alloys are described. Metallic alloys often have prop ...

composition. For instance, the hardest coatings can be achieved on 2XXX series

aluminium alloy An aluminium alloy ( UK/IUPAC) or aluminum alloy ( NA; see spelling differences) is an alloy in which aluminium (Al) is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin, nickel and zinc. There ...

s, where the highest proportion of crystalline phase

(α-Al₂O₃) is formed, resulting in hardnesses of ~2000 HV, whereas coatings on the 5XXX series have less of this important constituent and are hence softer. Extensive work is being pursued by Prof. T. W. Clyne at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

to investigate the fundamental electrical and plasma physical processes involved in this process, having previously elucidated some of the micromechanical (& pore architectural), mechanical and thermal characteristics of PEO coatings.

References

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External links

* Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation on WikiBooks Chemical processes Corrosion prevention Metallurgical processes