• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.10-16
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• 2017

This article reports for the first time on the lateral growth of PEO (plasma electrolytic oxidation) films on Al1050 alloy by the application of anodic pulse current in an alkaline electrolyte. Generation of microarcs was observed at the edges initially and then moved towards the central region with PEO treatment time. Disc type PEO film islands with about $20{\mu}m$ diameter were formed first and they grew laterally by the formation of new disc type PEO films at the edge of pre-formed PEO islands. The PEO film islands were found to be interconnected completely and form a continuous PEO film when generation of small size microarcs are terminated at the central part of the specimen, resulting in very smooth surface with low surface roughness less than $1{\mu}m$ of $R_a$. Further PEO treatment after the complete interconnection of PEO films islands showed local thickening of PEO films by vertical growth. It is concluded that very smooth PEO film surface can be obtained by lateral growth mechanism rather than vertical growth of them.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2017

This work demonstrates arc generation and anodic film formation behaviors on Al1050 alloy during PEO (plasma electrolytic oxidation) treatment under a constant direct current in an alkaline electrolyte containing silicate, carbonate and borate ions. Only one big arc more than 2 mm diameter was generated first at the edges and it was moving on the fresh surface or staying occasionally at the edges, resulting in the local burning due to generation of an extremely big orange colored arc at the edges. Central region of the flat surface was not fully covered with PEO films even after sufficiently long treatment time because of the local burning problem. The anodic oxides formed on the flat surface by arcing once were found to consist of a number of small oxide nodules with spherical shape of $3{\sim}6{\mu}m$ size and irregular shapes of about $5{\sim}10{\mu}m$ width and $10{\sim}20{\mu}m$ length. The anodic oxide nodules showed uniform thickness of about $3{\mu}m$ and rounded edges. These experimental results suggest that one big arc observed on the specimen surface under the application of a constant direct current is composed of a number of small micro-arcs less than $20{\mu}m$ size.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.122.2-122.2
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• 2013

플라즈마 전해산화(plasma electrolytic oxidation) 기술을 이용하여 제작한 산화 피막은 피막의 하층부(기지 금속과 접해 있는 부분)는 ${\alpha}$-phase의 산화물이 대부분을 이루고 있으며, 기지 금속과의 접착성도 뛰어나다. 하지만 피막의 표면이 거칠고, 다공성을 띄는 특징을 보인다. 본 연구에서는 피막의 거칠기와 다공성을 제어하기 위한 방법으로 전해액에 포함된 불순물(Si, P 등) 조성비의 변화에 초점을 맞췄으며, 불순물(Si, P 등)의 조성비를 변화시켜 가면서 실험을 진행하였다. 실험에는 60 Hz, 35 kW(700 V, 50 A)의 power supply가 사용되었다. 또한, 실험의 결과로 제작된 시편의 내전압(10 V/s), 내플라즈마(200 W, 10 min, Ar 5 sccm, 200 mTorr), 내화학성(HCl 36.46 wt%, 120 min) 테스트를 진행하였으며, 실험 결과를 바탕으로 ${\phi}300$ 대면적 시편의 제작도 완료하였다.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.117-122
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• 2019

In this study, surface porosity and corrosion resistance of PEO coatings prepared on the 6061 Al alloy were investigated in terms of sodium phosphate ($Na_3PO_4$) concentrations in an alkaline solution and $NaAlO_2$ sealing. The surface morphologies of the PEO coatings clearly show that the coatings film formed in $9g\;L^{-1}$ had the lowest porosity. The $NaAlO_2$ sealing was found to remove micropores and cracks existing on the surface of PEO coatings. As a result, the $NaAlO_2$ sealing resulted in the movement of corrosion potential toward more positive value and lower corrosion current density.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.9
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• pp.813-818
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• 2010

In current automobile and electronic industries, the use of magnesium alloys where both energy and weight saving are attainable is increasing. Despite their light weight, there has been an inherent drawback arising from the surface vulnerable to be oxidized with ease, specifically under corrosive environments. To protect magnesium alloy from corrosion, the present work deals with the electrochemical response of the oxide layer on magnesium alloy specimen prepared by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) method in an electrolyte with zirconia powder. Surface observation using scanning electron microscopy evidences that a number of zirconia particles are effectively incorporated into oxide layer. From the results of potentio-dynamic tests in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, the PEO-treated sample containing zirconia particles shows better corrosion properties than that without zirconia, which is the result of zirconia incorporation into the coating layer. Corrosion resistance is also measured by utilizing salt spray tests for 120 hrs.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.250-258
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• 2023

Ceramic oxide layer was formed on the surface of high silicon aluminum alloy by using PEO (plasma electrolytic oxidation) process. The microstructure of the oxide layer was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction patterns (XRD). The high silicon aluminum alloy prior to PEO process consists of Al, Si and Al₂Cu phases in XRD analysis, whereas Al₂Cu phase selectively disappeared after PEO treatment. Considerable decrease of relative intensity in most of peaks in XRD results of the high silicon aluminum alloy treated by PEO process was observed. It may be attributed to the formation of amorphous phases after PEO treatment. The corrosion behavior of the high silicon aluminum alloy treated by PEO process was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and other electrochemical techniques (i.e., open circuit potential and polarization curve). Electroanalytical studies indicated that the high silicon aluminum alloy treated by PEO process shows greater corrosion resistance than that untreated by PEO process.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.86-91
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• 2024

In this study, we investigated the effect of Na₂SiO₃ concentration on the Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation(PEO) film formation of Al6061 alloy. The morphology of the PEO films were examined by Optical Microscope(OM) and Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM). PEO film thickness increases as the Na₂SiO₃ concentration increases. The elemental analysis of PEO films was conducted using Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer(EDS). The cross-sectional elemental analysis result shows that the Si concentration tends to increase as the concentration of Na₂SiO₃ increases. X-Ray Diffraction(XRD) analysis was performed to confirm the degree of phase change according to Na₂SiO₃ concentration. In addition, Vickers hardness was measured to confirm the mechanical strength of the PEO film. As the concentration of Na₂SiO₃ increases, the hardness value also tends to increase.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.108-115
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• 2013

Oxide coatings were prepared on Al-1050 substrates by an environment-friendly plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process using an electrolytic solution of $Na_2SiO_3$ (8 g/L) and NaOH (3 g/L). The effects of three different duty cycles (20%, 40%, and 60%) and frequencies (50 Hz, 200 Hz, and 800 Hz) on the structure and micro-hardness of the oxide coatings were investigated. XRD analysis revealed that the oxides were mainly composed of ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$, ${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$, and mullite. The proportion of each crystalline phase depended on various electrical parameters, such as duty cycle and frequency. SEM images indicated that the oxide coatings formed at a 60% duty cycle exhibited relatively coarser surfaces with larger pore sizes and sintering particles. However, the oxides prepared at a 20% duty cycle showed relatively smooth surfaces. The PEO treatment also resulted in a strong adhesion between the oxide coating and the substrate. The oxide coatings were found to improve the micro-hardness with the increase of duty cycle. The structural and physical properties of the oxide coatings were affected by the duty cycles.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.80-80
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• 2017

Titanium and its alloys that have a good biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties such as hardness and wear resistance are widely used in dental and orthopedic implant applications. However, they do not form a chemical bond with bone tissue. Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) that combines the high voltage spark and electro-chemical oxidation is a novel method to form ceramic coatings on light metals such as tita-nium and its alloys. This is an excellent re-producibility and economical, because the size and shape control of the nano-structure is relatively easy. Silicon (Si), manganese (Mn), and magne-sium (Mg) have a useful to bone. Particularly, Si has been found to be essential for normal bone, cartilage growth, and development. Mn influences regulation of bone remodeling be-cause its low content in body is connected with the rise of the concentration of calcium, phosphates and phosphatase out of cells. Pre-studies have shown that Mg plays very im-portant roles in essential for normal growth and metabolism of skeletal tissue in verte-brates and can be detected as minor constitu-ents in teeth and bone. In this study, Electrochemical behavior of plasma electrolytic oxidized films formed in solution containing Mn, Mg and Si ions were researched using various experimental in-struments. A series of Si-Mn-Mg coatings are produced on Ti dental implant using PEO, with the substitution degree, respectively, at 5 and 10%. The potentiodynamic polarization and AC impedance tests for corrosion behav-iors were carried out in 0.9% NaCl solution at similar body temperature using a potentiostat with a scan rate of 1.67mV/s and potential range from -1500mV to + 2000mV. Also, AC impedance was performed at frequencies anging from 10MHz to 100kHz for corrosion resistance.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.16-16
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• 2011

Plasmas in saline solutions receive considerable attention in recent years. How the operating parameters influence the plasma characteristics and how the electrode erosion occurs have been topics that require further study. In the first part of this talk, the effect of the frequency on the plasmas characteristics in saline solution driven by 50~1000 Hz AC power will be presented. Two distinct modes, namely bubble and jetting modes, are identified. The bubble mode occurs under low frequencies. In this mode, one mm-sized bubble is tightly attached to the electrode tip and oscillates with the applied voltage. With an increase in the frequency, it shows the jetting mode, in which many smaller bubbles are continuous formed and jetted away from the electrode surface. Multiple mechanisms that are potentially responsible to such a change in bubble dynamics have been proposed and the dominant mechanism is identified. From the Stark broadening of the hydrogen optical emission line, electron densities in both modes are estimated. It shows clearly that the driving frequency greatly influences the bubble dynamics, which in turn alters the plasma behavior. In the second part, the study of the erosion of a tungsten electrode immersed in saline solution under conditions suitable for bio-medical applications is presented. The electrode is immersed in 0.1 M saline solution and is positively or negatively biased using a DC power source up to 600 V. It is identified that when the electrode is positively biased, erosion by the surface electrolytic oxidation is the dominant mechanism with an applied voltage below 150 V. An increase in the applied voltage leads to the formation of the plasma and the damage by the plasma and the thermal effect becomes more prominent. The formation of the gas film at the electrode surface leads to the formation of the plasma and hinders the electrolytic erosion. In the negatively-biased electrode, no electrolytic oxidation is seen and the damage is mostly likely due to the plasma erosion and the thermal effect.