Effects of a Carbon Nanotube Additive on the Corrosion-Resistance and Heat-Dissipation Properties of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation on AZ31 Magnesium Alloy

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coating was obtained on AZ31 Mg alloy using a direct current in a sodium silicate-based electrolyte with and without a carbon nanotube (CNT) additive. The surface morphology and phase composition of the PEO coatings were investigated through field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The corrosion-resistance properties of the PEO coatings were evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Furthermore, the heat-dissipation property was evaluated by a heat-flux measurement setup using a modified steady-state method and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results demonstrate that, by increasing the concentration of CNT additive in the electrolyte, the micropores and cracks of the PEO coatings are greatly decreased. In addition, the anticorrosion performance of the PEO coatings that incorporated CNT for the protection of the Mg substrate was improved. Finally, the coating's heat-dissipation property was improved by the incorporation of CNT with high thermal conductivity and high thermal emissivity.