Lithium-aluminum-carbonate-hydroxide hydrate coatings on aluminum alloys: Composition, structure, and processing bath chemistry

A new corrosion resistant coating, being designed for possible replacement of chromate conversion coatings on aluminum alloys, was investigated for composition, structure, and solubility using a variety of techniques. The stoichiometry of the material, prepared by immersion of 1100 Al alloy into a lithium carbonate-lithium hydroxide solution, was approximately Li2Al4CO3(OH)(12).3H2O. Processing time was shown to be dependent upon the bath pH, and consistent coating formation required supersaturation of the coating bath with aluminum. The exact crystal structure of this hydrotalcite material, hexagonal or monoclinic, was not determined. It was shown that both the bulk material and coatings with the same nominal composition and crystal structure could be formed by precipitation from an aluminum supersatured solution of lithium carbonate.