Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Treatment of Zr-2.5%Nb Alloy for Corrosion Resistance Enhancement

Anticorrosion layers were prepared on commercial Zr-2.5%Nb alloy by employing plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process in aqueous electrolyte solutions. Microstructure and electrochemical behavior were evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical metallography and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. The obtained coatings are uneven, presenting a dominant monoclinic crystallographic phase of ZrO2. Enhanced corrosion resistance was attributed to the PEO-treated samples compared to the commercial black oxide coating.