Correlation of processing parameters with surface morphology and microstructure in plasma electrolytic oxide ceramic coatings on WE43 alloy
Khalili V, Gembus JL, Gibson AR, Schücke L, Thome P, Awakowicz P, Frenzel J, Virtanen S, Eggeler G, Boccaccini AR (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
Journal
DOI: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.099
Abstract
The present study aims to investigate a systematic optimization of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) conditions for WE43 Mg alloy to control its biodegradation rate. A phosphate-based electrolyte was used, and a novel integration of response surface method and SEM-based image processing was applied to evaluate the effects of mean current, frequency, and duty cycle on pore size and surface roughness. This combination overcomes the limitations of conventional qualitative surface analysis, enabling precise process-structure correlations. It was demonstrated that the mean current is the most effective parameter for governing coating morphology. The desired values for minimum equivalent pore diameter (0.411 μm) and surface roughness (0.973 μm) are achieved using the optimal PEO conditions of 100 mA, 500 Hz, 30% duty cycle, and 5 min. Immersion and nano scratch testing demonstrated that the optimized PEO coating achieved the highest corrosion barrier efficiency and a critical detachment load of 518 mN. These results confirm that a uniform and fine-pored microstructure improves both corrosion resistance and coating adhesion. Additionally, XRD results confirmed the presence of MgO and Mg
Authors with CRIS profile
Sannakaisa Virtanen
Professur für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Korrosion und Oberflächentechnik)
Aldo Boccaccini
Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Biomaterialien)
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Khalili, V., Gembus, J.L., Gibson, A.R., Schücke, L., Thome, P., Awakowicz, P.,... Boccaccini, A.R. (2026). Correlation of processing parameters with surface morphology and microstructure in plasma electrolytic oxide ceramic coatings on WE43 alloy. Ceramics International. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.099
MLA:
Khalili, Vida, et al. "Correlation of processing parameters with surface morphology and microstructure in plasma electrolytic oxide ceramic coatings on WE43 alloy." Ceramics International (2026).
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