Effect of introduction of MXene on low energy plasma electrolytic oxidation

This article discusses the development of 2D MXene-containing coatings on magnesium alloy LA91, which are produced using low-energy plasma electrolytic oxidation (LePEO) processing. The coatings enhance substrate corrosion resistance and offer improved wear resistance. Notably, the coatings exhibit increased corrosion and wear resistance, as well as higher microhardness, while simultaneously reducing the voltage required for the PEO process. The addition of MXene to electrolyte enhances its conductivity, leading to the incorporation of MXene into the oxide coating. Despite a reduction in coating thickness, the resulting coatings demonstrate excellent corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and hardness. The MXene-enriched PEO coatings show impressive performance metrics compared to the MgLi alloy substrate. The corrosion current density of the MXene-enriched coatings is only 3.3 % of that of the MgLi alloy, while the average friction coefficient is reduced to 39.9 %, and the hardness is 6.6 times greater. Additionally, the coatings exhibit enduring corrosion resistance during prolonged immersion and neutral salt spraying tests. These performance improvements are attributed to MXene's ability to hinder the transmission of corrosive media, as well as its interlayer shear and self-lubrication properties, which enhance wear resistance.