A comparative study of corrosion behavior of hard anodized and micro-arc oxidation coatings on 7050 aluminum alloy

Two kinds of metal oxide coatings were fabricated on 7050 Al alloy by hard anodization (HA) and micro-arc oxidation (MAO) techniques. The microstructure, phase composition, and corrosion behavior of the two coatings were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and corrosion tests, respectively. When compared with the HA coating, the MAO one was more effective to isolate the substrate from the corrosive environment. In addition, as confirmed by electrochemical tests, the MAO coating was of better corrosion resistance than the HA coating. Furthermore, it was revealed by neutral salt spray test that the MAO coating could protect substrate alloy over 1140 h, while the HA coating can only protect substrate alloy for 46 h due to the amorphous composition and through thickness defects (micro-pores and micro-cracks).
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the project from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51571114, 51401106), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20130935) and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).