Effects of pulse current mode on plasma electrolytic oxidation of 7075 Al in Na2WO4 containing solution: From unipolar to soft-sparking regime

Abstract Plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings were produced on 7075 Al alloy in a silicate based solution containing sodium tungstate using unipolar, usual bipolar and soft-sparking bipolar pulsed current regimes. X-ray diffraction proved that the coatings contain gamma alumina and metallic tungsten. EDS results showed that the tungsten content decreases with increasing the negative half cycle. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the pancake and volcano-like were dominant morphologies for the coatings produced by the unipolar and bipolar current regimes, respectively. Under unipolar current regime, a band of large pores is observed at the metal/coating interface, while they became di…