Effect of the oxidation time on properties of ceramic coatings produced on Ti-6Al-4V by micro-arc oxidation

Ceramic coatings were prepared on Ti-6Al-4V alloy using ac micro-arc oxidation (MAO) in silicate-hypophosphate solution. Growth regularity and formation mechanism of ceramic coatings were discussed. It was found that during the first stage the growth rate of coatings toward the external surface was larger than that toward substrate and then the coating began to grow mainly towards Ti alloy. When the total coating thickness reaches a certain value, it would no longer increase. In addition, the variations of the composition and microstructure of ceramic coatings according to the depositing time were also investigated with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The amount of rutile TiO2 gradually increased, whereas the amounts of the anatase TiO2 and amorphous phases first increased and then decreased slightly.