Structure and Properties of Black Ceramic MAO Coatings on Aluminum Alloys

The existing processes for obtaining black wear-resistant coatings include chemical methods, anodic oxidation followed by painting in aniline dyes, electrochemical deposition, vacuum plasma treatment, microarc oxidation (MAO). Of great interest for the formation of light-absorbing coatings is the MAO method, which is characterized as a reliable and environmentally friendly process, which provides the formation of a hard ceramic-like oxide layer with high corrosion resistance аnd good adhesion to the substrate. Therefore, the development of methods for obtaining high-quality black MAO coatings with both high optical and mechanical characteristics is currently an urgent task. The paper presents the results of a study of the structure and properties of black ceramic coatings on aluminum alloy AMg2 obtained by microarc oxidation using silicate-alkaline and silicate-phosphate electrolytes containing potassium ferrocyanide and sodium tungstate as coloring components. Sodium tungsten acid and potassium ferrocyanide with a concentration of  0.5 to 2.0 g/l were added to the electrolytes as additional components that ensured the coloring of the coatings. It has been established that the most saturated black coatings in a silicate-alkaline electrolyte are formed with the addition of 1.5–2.0 g/l of sodium tungstate, and in a silicate-phosphate electrolyte with the addition of 1.5 g/l of potassium ferrocyanide. The use of an electrolyte containing sodium tungstate makes it possible to form coatings with a lower microroughness height (Ra 0.97–1.11 µm) compared to coatings obtained in an electrolyte containing potassium ferrocyanide (Ra up to 4.20 µm). The maximum wear resistance of the resulting coatings (wear rate (0.38–0.59) × 10–4 mm3/(m×N)) is achieved by treatment in the studied electrolytes with a duration of 10 min. In this case, the thickness of the coatings is 21–31 µm. A further increase in the duration of processing does not have a significant effect on the wear rate.