Nanoporous anodized aluminum thickness optimization through pulse current mode

The purpose of this study was to optimize the thickness of anodizing Aluminum coatings processed under pulse current mode through the Design of Experiments (DOE) method. Thickness measurement, polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were employed to take Thickness and corrosion behaviors of the anodized coatings into consideration. Also, Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was utilized to characterize the surface morphology of the coatings. It was found that the thickness of anodized coatings strongly depends on various parameters among which, time, temperature and pulse current parameters such as current density limit, frequency and duty cycle were considered in the present study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for estimating the coating thickness. Experimental results showed the maximum value for coating thickness was 62 µm being attained at the maximum and minimum current density of 6.28 and 1.55 A/dm2, a frequency of 150.5 Hz, time of 51 min, duty cycle of 81.5% and the bath temperature of 13.5 oC. Also, FE-SEM observation of the surface of anodized coatings showed that this optimum condition leads to a lower porosity amount. Polarization measurements showed that this lower porosity amount caused an increase in corrosion resistance of anodized coatings.