Correlation between Defect Density and Corrosion Parameter of Electrochemically Oxidized Aluminum

Abstract

It has been recognized that a connection may exist between defects of oxide coating and its corrosion protection. Such a link has not been substantiated. We prepare two coatings of anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) and plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO), and analyze them with Mott-Schottky plots and potentiodynamic polarization scans. The as-grown and annealed AAO coatings exhibit both p-type and n-type semiconductor behaviors. Polarization resistance of the AAO coating increases from (1.8 ± 1.7) × 108 to (4.3 ± 0.5) × 108 Ω·cm2, while corrosion current decreases from (6.1 ± 3.6) × 10−7 to (2.3 ± 0.9) × 10−7 A·cm−2, as annealing temperature increases from room temperature to 400 °C. The parameter analysis on AAO indicates a positive correlation between corrosion current and donor density, a negative correlation between polarization resistance and donor density. The attempt on correlating corrosion potential gives rise to considerable deviation from a linear fit. The results suggest protection of AAO hinges on its donor density, not acceptor. On the PEO coatings, only the n-type behavior is observed. Intriguingly, the donor density of PEO coating is influenced by the annealing temperature of its pre-anodized layer. The most resistant PEO coating, with pre-anodized and 400 °C annealed AAO, exhibits polarization resistance (2.1 ± 0.4) × 109 Ω·cm2 and corrosion current (1.7 ± 0.4) × 10−8 A·cm−2.