Properties of dawsonite conversion film on AZ31 magnesium alloy

An environmentally friendly method for synthesizing a dawsonite conversion film was developed to improve the corrosion resistance of AZ31 Mg alloy. The film was prepared by two steps： the AZ31 alloy was first immersed in an Al 2 （SO 4 ） 3 solution venting CO 2 gas to form a precursor film, and then the precursor film was treated in a Na 2 CO 3 solution dissolved with Al to obtain the dawsonite film. The surface morphology of the conversion film was observed with an environmental scanning electronic microscope. The chemical composition of the conversion film was analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry. Electrochemical and immersion tests were carried out to evaluate the protection effect of the conversion film on AZ31 alloy. There are some network-like cracks on the surface of the film. The conversion film is mainly composed of dawsonite NaAlCO 3 （OH） 2 , Al（OH） 3 and Al 5 （OH） 13 （CO 3 ）·5H 2 O, which can increase the corrosion potential and reduce the corrosion current density of the Mg substrate. After immersion tests, the film almost keeps intact, except for the localized narrow areas with several corrosion pits, while the bare material undergoes serious general corrosion. It is indicated that the dawsonite film can provide good protection to the magnesium alloy.

Effect of surface microstructure of aluminum coating on corrosion properties of magnetic refrigerant gadolinium

AI coatings with different microstructures were prepared on the surface of Gd using the magnetron sputtering technique to improve its corrosion resistance. The corrosion behaviors for the pure Gd and Gd with Al coating in distilled water were studied using the mass loss and electrochemical performance. As a result, pure Gd without coating shows a certain amount of surface cracks under water flow conditions, whereas the polygonal Al coating decreases the path of the corrosive medium to body due to the existence of eroding pits structure. Compared with the polygonal structure Al coating and pure Gd, the lamellar structure of Al coating exhibits a higher electrochemical protection performance （e.g., a lower corrosion current and higher self-corrosion potential） and no occurrence of pitting corrosion. Due to an effective physical shield, the formation of the lamellar structure protected the inner Gd part from being corroded, and prolonged the duration of cathodic protection.

Applications of carbonic acid solution for developing conversion coatings on Mg alloy

Works on exploring an environmentally clean method for producing an Mg,Al-hydrotalcite(Mg6Al2(OH) 16CO3·4H2O) layer and/or calcium carbonate(CaCO3) layer on Mg alloy in a carbonic acid solution system(aqueous HCO3-/CO3 2-or Ca 2+ /HCO3-) at 50℃ were reviewed.Conversion treatment for the Mg,Al-hydrotalcite conversion coating was as follows.Mg alloy was treated first in acidic HCO3-/CO3 2-aqueous for precursor layer formation on Mg alloy surface and then in alkaline HCO3-/CO3 2-aqueous to form a crystallized Mg,Al-hydrotalcite coating.Duration of an Mg,Al-hydrotalcite coating on Mg alloy surface was reduced from 12 h to 4 h by the conversion treatment.On the other hand,for reducing the formation time of CaCO3 coating on Mg alloy,the aqueous Ca 2+ /HCO3-with a saturated Ca 2+ content was employed for developing a CaCO3 coating on Mg alloy.A dense CaCO3 coating could yield on Mg alloy surface in 2 h.Corrosion rate(corrosion current density,Jcorr) of the Mg,Al-hydrotalcite-coated sample and CaCO3-coated AZ91D sample was 7-10μA/cm 2,roughly two orders less than the Jcorr of the as-diecast sample(about 200μA/cm 2) . No corrosion spot on the Mg,Al-hydrotalcite-coated sample and CaCO3-coated sample was observed after 72 h and 192 h salt spray test,respectively.