Effect of Surface Activation on the Corrosion Resistance of a MAO/Ni-P Composite Coating on LZ91 Magnesium Alloy

Abstract

BackgroundLZ91 Magnesium alloy with a dual-phase structure has improved mechanical properties and a low density of about 1.48 g/cm3 but their limited resistance to corrosion limits their application. Therefore, it is a great challenge to increase the stability of LZ91 alloys under corrosive factors and environments. MethodsThis study uses micro-arc oxidation (MAO) and an electroless nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) plated composite film to increase the corrosion resistance of LZ91 magnesium alloy. Before electroless Ni-P plating, the MAO layers are activated by palladium catalysts at different pH values to produce composite coatings. SEM, EDS and Image J are used to determine the surface properties and elemental composition of the samples. The corrosion resistance is measured using a potentiodynamic polarization test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. FindingsThe results show that the MAO coating is activated by an acid catalyst and the surface is obviously corroded. The electroless Ni-P plating grows into the MAO coating and the substrate corrodes. Therefore, corrosive medium (chloride ion) easily enter to the substrate and pitting corrosion occurred. On the contrary, activation by a neutral catalyst (pH=7) maintains the original structure of the MAO coating and provides a good bonding interface for the Ni-P coating. Form the potentiodynamic analysis can be finds that the corrosion potential for the neutral catalyst treated sample is -0.35V and the corrosion current density value is 1.77×10−6 A/cm2, so the corrosion characteristic become better than the acid catalyst treated samples. In terms of the long-term resistance after 48 h, EIS analysis shows that the resistance value remains at about 7.6×104 Ω•cm2. A composite coating that is compact and with excellent resistance to corrosion resistance is produced, which provides better protection for LZ91 magnesium alloys.