Study on the Rare Earth Sealing Procedure of the Porous Film of Anodized 2024 Aluminum Alloy

The rare earth sealing procedure of the porous film of anodized aluminum alloy 2024 was studied with the fieldemission scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results show thatRE solution can form cerium oxide/hydroxides precipitation in the pores of the anodized coating at the beginning ofsealing. At the same time, the spherical deposits formed on the surface of the anodized coating created a barrierto the precipitation of RE solution in the pores. When the pore-structured anodizing film is covered all with thespherical deposits, RE conversion coating will form on the surface of the anodized coating. The reaction of thecoating formation was investigated by employing cyclic voltammetry. The results indicate that accelerator H2O2 actsas the source of O2 by carrying chemical reaction in course of coating formation. In the mean time, it maybe carrieselectrochemical reaction to generate alkaline condition to accelerate the coating formation. The porous structur