Influence of Additives on the Macroscopic Color and Corrosion Resistance of 6061 Aluminum Alloy Micro-Arc Oxidation Coatings

Abstract

In this study, we successfully employed the plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technique to create a uniform white ceramic layer on the surface of the 6061 aluminum alloy using K2ZrF6 and Na2WO4 as colorants. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the coatings, and we used an electrochemical workstation to test their corrosion protection properties. The corrosion resistance of the coatings was analyzed using potentiodynamic polarization curves. The results showed that K2ZrF6 addition whitened the coating with ZrO2 as the main phase composition, inhibiting Al substrate depletion and enhancing coating corrosion resistance. A small amount of Na2WO4 decreased the coating’s L* value, successfully constructing ceramic coatings with L* (coating brightness) values ranging from 70 to 86, offering broad application prospects for decorative coatings.