Plasma electrolytic oxidation of AZ31 and AZ91 magnesium alloys:Comparison of coatings formation mechanism

The growth kinetics of PEO coatings on AZ31 and AZ91 magnesium alloys were studied and correlated with their structure,compositions(phase and elemental)and corrosion resistance.It was established that the coatings have a two-(outer and anodic)or three-layer structure(outer,inner and anodic)depending on the treatment time.Briefly,at short treatment time only an anodic layer and outer layer exists.Growth of the outer PEO layer takes place due to the micro discharges,which occur in vertical pores and voids with spherical cross-section.If the time is increasing,and electrolyte inside of the pores is heating-up,etching of the Mg substrate and oxide film becomes more dominant and horizontal pores in the interface between coating and metal are formed.In the pores new anodic layer will form and at this time the formation of the third inner layer starts.The growth of the inner layer happens via the anodic film as a result of micro discharge ignition in the horizontal pores,accompanied by formation of plasma in numerous micro-voids of this layer.The coatings formed on AZ91 alloy are denser,than those on AZ31,which is related to the difference in the rates of inner layer growth and dissolving of oxides which are located at the bottom of the horizontal pores.Because of the lower Al content,the AZ31 substrate itself and the also the oxide films are less stable and tend to dissolve at a higher rate compared to AZ91.Thus,it was demonstrated that a good corrosion resistance of the coatings was only obtained on AZ91 and if the average thickness of the coating is around 50μm,correlating with the formation of a sufficiently dense inner laye-Knowing this mechanism,a new two-step treatment was suggested,combining the standard PEO treatment with a subsequent PEO process in an electrolyte supporting the inner film formation.The concept was successfully applied and a further improved corrosion resistance was obtained compared to the single stage PEO process.This improvement of corrosion resistance was related to the better sealing of porosity and formation of a denser inner layer.

Formation Mechanism of a Y-modified Cr-Al Coating Co-deposited on DZ125 Alloy and Its High-temperature Oxidation Resistance

Y-modified Cr-Al coatings were co-deposited on DZ125 alloy by a pack cementation process,and the microstructures,constituent phases,and formation mechanisms of the obtained coatings were studied.The oxidation resistance of the coatings was also investigated.The experimental results show that the coating prepared by co-depositing Cr-Al-Y at 1050℃for 2 h has a multi-layered structure with an outer layer composed of Cr and Ni_(3)Cr_(2),a middle layer composed of Ni_(3)Cr_(2) and Al_(13)Co_(4),and an inner layer composed of Ni_(3)Al.The co-deposited Y is mainly present in the outer and middle layers of the coating.The coating formation process follows a sequential deposition mechanism in which Al is deposited during the initial stage,followed by Cr deposition.After oxidation at 1100℃for 100 h,a dense Cr_(2)O_(3)·Al_(2)O_(3) scale forms on the obtained coating,which effectively protects the DZ125 alloy from oxidation by preventing the inward diffusion of oxygen.

Formation and Oxidation Resistance of Silicide Coatings for Mo and Mo-Based Alloys

The forming process of silicide coatings on pure Mo and Mo-base alloys, obtained by the gas- phase deposition method. has been studied by examining the microstructure of coatings and the relationship between coating thickness and process parameters. It was shown that the growth of coatings was diffusion-controlled, the diffusion of silicon to be coated into Mo or Mo-base alloys was mainly responsible for the formation of silicide. The relationship between initial silicide thickness and oxidation resistance was also investigated, and the equation of service life of the coatings at high temperature in air is presented.

Microstructure characteristics of Ni/WC composite cladding coatings

A multilayer tungsten carbide particle（WCp）-reinforced Ni-based alloy coating was fabricated on a steel substrate using vacuum cladding technology.The morphology,microstructure,and formation mechanism of the coating were studied and discussed in different zones.The microstructure morphology and phase composition were investigated by scanning electron microscopy,optical microscopy,X-ray diffraction,and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.In the results,the coating presents a dense and homogeneous microstructure with few pores and is free from cracks.The whole coating shows a multilayer structure,including composite,transition,fusion,and diffusion-affected layers.Metallurgical bonding was achieved between the coating and substrate because of the formation of the fusion and diffusion-affected layers.The Ni-based alloy is mainly composed of y-Ni solid solution with finely dispersed Cr7C3/Cr（23）C6,CrB,and Ni＋Ni3Si.WC particles in the composite layer distribute evenly in areas among initial Ni-based alloying particles,forming a special three-dimensional reticular microstructure.The macrohardness of the coating is HRC 55,which is remarkably improved compared to that of the substrate.The microhardness increases gradually from the substrate to the composite zone,whereas the microhardness remains almost unchanged in the transition and composite zones.

Effect of K2TiO(C2O4)2 Addition in Electrolyte on the Microstructure and Tribological Behavior of Micro-Arc Oxidation Coatings on Aluminum Alloy

Micro-arc oxidation （MAO） coatings with different concentrations of K2TiO（C2O4）2 in the sodium silicate base electrolyte were prepared on 6061 aluminum alloy with the aim of promoting a better understanding of the formation mechanisms and tribological behaviors of the coatings. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） assisted with energy-dis- persive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and friction test were employed to charac- terize the MAO processes and microstructure of the resultant coatings. Results showed that the composition and microstructure of the coatings were significantly affected by the addition of KETiO（CaO4）2. A sealing microstructure of MAO coating was obtained with the addition of K2TiO（C2O4）2. Ti element from K2TiO（C2O4）2 was only absorbed into the defects of micropores under surface energy in the early stage, while in the later stage, Ti element was predominant in the micropores and distributed on the coatings under plasma discharge to form TiO2. It was demonstrated that Ti and Si elements from the electrolyte could interact with each other during the MAO process and the interaction mechanism was systematically analyzed. Wear resistance of the MAO coatings with K2TiO（C2O4）2 addition was significantly improved compared with that of the MAO coatings without K2TiO（C2O4）2 addition.

An update on electrostatic powder coating for pharmaceuticals

Derived from dry powder coating of metals, electrostatic powder coating for pharmaceuticals is a technology for coating drug solid dosage forms. In this technology, coating powders, containing coating polymers, pigments, and other excipients, are directly sprayed onto the surface of the solid dosage forms through an electrostatic gun without using any organic solvent or water. The deposited coating powders are further cured to form a coating film. Electrostatic powder coating technology has many advantages compared to other pharmaceutical coating methods. It can eliminate the limitations caused by the organic solvent in solvent coating such as environmental issues and health problems. And electrostatic powder coating technology also surpasses aqueous coating due to its shorter processing time and less energy consumption, leading to a lower overall cost. Furthermore, the utilization of electrical attraction can promote the movement of coating powders towards the substrate, leading to an enhanced coating powder adhesion and coating efficiency, which make it more promising compared to other dry coating technologies. The objective of this review is to summarize the coating principles, apparatus, and formulations of different electrostatic powder coating technologies, giving their advantages and limitations and also analyzing the future application in the industry for each technology