Abstract:A self-ordered porous film was fabricated on aluminum alloy in a ternary boric-sulfuric-oxalic acid electrolyte system. By means of voltage–time response, the oxidation process as well as the growth efficiency was studied. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was adopted to reveal the morphological and microstructural features of as-fabricated oxide layers. The corrosion protection properties of the films were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. The results showed that increasing the concentration of the double ionic layer located at the oxide interface could accelerate the film growth rate. The anodic oxidative layer with thickness of 8-9 μm and pore diameter of 10-14 nm maintains the pattern and topography of workpieces, compared with the overall closed film with hierarchical structure. Both samples exhibited much lower corrosion current density after boil water sealing. Meanwhile, a superior stability could be achieved through raising the ambient temperature.

Key words: 5083 aluminum alloy; anodizing; film growth efficiency; corrosion behavior