Improvement of Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of Commercially Pure Titanium Using Alumina PEO Coatings

In this study, the surface of commercially pure titanium (Cp-Ti) was covered by a 21–95 µm-thick aluminum oxide layer using plasma electrolytic oxidation. Coating characterization revealed the formation of nodular and granular α- and γ-Al2O3 phases with minor amounts of TiAl2O5 and Na2Ti4O9 which yielded a maximum 49.0 GPa hardness and 50 N adhesive critical load. The corrosion resistance behavior in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution of all plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coatings was found to be two orders of magnitude higher compared to bare Ti substrate.