Study of the Synergistic Influence of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation and Wet Post-Treatment on the Surface of AA7075.

In this study, we enhanced the corrosion and microbial resistance of aluminum 7075 alloys by applying a thin layer of alumina through plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) in an alkali-silicate electrolyte. In addition, the influence of film sealing on coated aluminum alloy 7075 was studied in detail, specifically in oil and water at 100 °C after treatment. The surface and cross-sectional morphology, element composition, and phase composition of the PEO coatings were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) assisted with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The corrosion resistance of the coating on AA7075 PEO was evaluated before and after post-treatment using hot water and hump oil at 100 °C. This assessment was conducted by using various electrochemical techniques, including open-circuit potential (OCP), linear polarization resistance (LPR), potentiodynamic polarization scan (PD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and cyclic potentiodynamic scan (CPS). The results showed that the corrosion resistance of the AA7075 alloy was significantly improved after the PEO coating. The AA7075 + SF, among all of the examined alloys, exhibited superior corrosion properties, due to its fat sealing. This is probably due to the formation of a mixed fatty acid layer from oil on the surface of the AA7075 PEO, which synthesizes a hydrophobic layer. Interestingly, the samples treated with PEO showed a great resistance to microbial growth.