Elemental composition and morphology of oxide coatings formed on stainless steel, nickel alloy (nonvalve metals), and titanium (valve metal) by plasma-electrolytic method combined with the extraction-pyrolytic technique are reported. It is shown that combination of these methods is promising for obtaining oxide coatings with a complex chemical composition and various physicochemical properties.One of modern ways to form functional oxide layers on metals and alloys is by plasma-electrolytic oxidation (PEO), i.e., anodic or anodic-cathodic oxidation of the surface of metals and alloys in aqueous electrolytes at spark or arc electric-discharge voltages [1,2]. This method is employed to form wear-and corrosionresistant oxide layers on products made of aluminum, titanium, magnesium, and their alloys. These are metals and alloys of the valve group, on whose surface a barrier oxide fi lm is formed at the initial instants of time before the spark (conventional) anodization. This fi lm has high electrical resistance and leads to development of spark breakdowns upon an increase in voltage.In electrolytes of certain composition, commonly of aqueous type, electric discharges initiate high-rate growth of an anodic oxide layer on the surface of valve metals, with this layer containing high-temperature oxide phases, e.g., γ-and α-Al 2 O 3 on aluminum [3,4]. This circumstance is widely used in practice to form wear-resistant layers on articles made of aluminum and its alloys [1,2].At the same time, processes caused by electric discharges can produce coatings containing electrolyte components [5], including solid dispersed particles [6]. These specifi c features of PEO are used, e.g., to develop ways to cover valve metals with biocompatible oxide layers with calcium phosphates [7], Zr-containing light-refl ecting layers [8], protective antifriction oxidepolymeric structures [9], Fe-containing layers with ferromagnetic properties [10,11], and layers with transition metal oxides and noble metals exhibiting a catalytic activity [12,13]. Since the beginning of systematic studies in the fi eld of PEO, ways to form functional oxide layers on metals and alloys of nonvalve type (iron, steel, cast iron, nickel, lead, zinc, copper, etc.) have been under development. No passive oxide layers with a valve (diode) effect are formed in anodic polarization on the surface of metals of this kind [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28].The already developed, or being discussed in the literature, approaches to coating formation by PEO on metals and alloys of the nonvalve group can be conditionally divided into three groups. In the fi rst of these, a layer of a valve metal, commonly aluminum or its alloys, with a certain thickness is preliminarily deposited on the surface and then processes into an oxide RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 85 No. 4 2012 622 RUDNEV et al.coating by PEO. An aluminum layer is deposited, e.g., by electric arc metallization [20,21] in aluminum-plating baths [23]. In the second group, high curre...