• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.283-288
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• 2024

Hot-dip Zn-Mg-Al coatings have a complex microstructure consisting of Zn, Al, and MgZn₂ phases. Its crystal structure depends on alloy content and cooling rates. Microstructure and corrosion resistance of these coatings might be affected by heat treatment. To investigate effect of heat treatment on microstructure and corrosion resistance of Zn-Mg-Al coatings, Zn-1.5%Mg-1.5%Al coated steel was heated up to 550 ℃ at a heating rate of 80 ℃/s and cooled down to room temperature. At above 500 ℃, the ternary phase of Zn-MgZn₂-Al was melted down. Only Zn and MgZn₂ phases remained in the coating. Heat- and non-heat-treated specimens showed similar corrosion resistance in Salt Spray Test (SST). When a Zn-3.0%Mg-2.5%Al coated steel was subjected to heat treatment at 100 ℃ or 300 ℃ for 200 h and compared with GA and GI coated steels, the microstructure of coatings was not significantly changed at 100 ℃. However, at 300 ℃, most Al in the coating reacted with Fe in the substrate, forming a Fe-Al compound layer in the lower part of the coating. MgZn₂ was preferentially formed in the upper part of the coating. As a result of SST, Zn-Mg-Al coated steels showed excellent corrosion resistance, better than GA and GI.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.344-351
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• 2023

The use of Zn-Al-Mg alloy coatings for enhancing the corrosion resistance of steel sheets is gaining prominence over traditional Zn coatings. There is a growing demand for the development of thermal spray wires made from Zn-Al-Mg alloys, as a replacement for the existing wires produced using Al and Zn. This is particularly crucial to secure corrosion resistance and durability in the damaged areas of coated steel sheets caused by deformation and welding. This study focuses on the casting and extrusion processes of Zn-2Al-1Mg alloy for the fabrication of such spray wires and analyzes the changes in microstructure during the extrusion process. The Zn-2Al-1Mg alloy, cast in molds, was subjected to a heat treatment at 250 ℃ for 3 hours prior to extrusion. The extrusion process was carried out by heating both the material and the mold up to 300 ℃. Microstructural analysis was conducted using FE-SEM and EDS to differentiate each phase. The mechanical properties of the cast specimen were evaluated through compression tests at temperatures ranging from 200 to 300 ℃, with strain rates of 0.1 to 5 sec^-1. Vickers hardness testing was utilized to assess the inhomogeneity of mechanical properties in the radial direction of the extruded material. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was employed to understand the inhomogeneity in stress and strain distribution during extrusion, which aids in understanding the impact of heterogeneous deformation on the microstructure during the process.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.233-238
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• 2010

Hot-dipped Al-Mg-Si coatings to alternate Zn and Zn alloy coatings for steel were examined on metallographic structure, corrosion resistance, sacrificial ability, formation and growth of inter-metallic compounds, and mechanical properties. Near the eutectic composition of quasi-binary system of Al-$Mg_2Si$, very fine eutectic structure of ${\alpha}$-Al and $Mg_2Si$ was obtained and it showed excellent corrosion resistivity and sacrificial ability for a steel in sodium chloride solutions. Formation and growth of Al-Fe inter-metallic compounds at the interface of substrate steel and coated layer was suppressed by addition of Si. The inter-metallic compounds layer was usually brittle, however, the coating layer did not peel off as long as the thickness of the inter-metallic compounds layer was small enough. During sacrificial protection of a steel, amount of hydrogen into the steel was more than ten times smaller than that of Zn coated steel, suggesting to prevent hydrogen embrittlement. Al-Mg-Si coating is expected to apply for several kinds of high strength steels.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.221-229
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• 2022

To understand effects of cooling rates of coating layer on microstructures and corrosion behaviors of hot-dip alloy coated steel sheets (Zn-5%Al-2%Mg) in a neutral aqueous condition with chloride ion, a range of experimental and analytical methods were used in this study. Results showed that a faster cooling rate during solidification decreased the fraction of primary Zn, and increased the fraction of Zn-Al phase. In addition, interlamellar spacing became refined under a faster cooling rate. These modifications of the coating structure had higher open circuit potentials (OCP) with smaller anodic and cathodic current densities in the electrochemical potentiodynamic polarization. Surface analyses after a salt spray test showed that the increase in the Zn-Al phase in the coating formed under a faster cooling rate might have contributed to the formation of simonkolleite (Zn₅(OH)₈Cl₂·H₂O) and hydrotalcite (ZnAl₂(OH)₆Cl₂·H₂O) with a protective nature on the corroded outer surface, thus delaying the formation of red rust.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.289-295
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• 2024

Zn-Mg-Al alloy hot-dip galvanized steel sheet has high corrosion resistance. Compared to conventional Zn coating with the same coating thickness, the high corrosion resistance Zn-Mg-Al coating is more corrosion-resistant. Various coating compositions are commercially produced and applied in diverse fields. However, these steel sheets typically contain up to 3 wt% magnesium. In recent years, there has been a growing demand for higher corrosion resistance in harsh corrosive environments. Therefore, variations in Mg and Al contents were investigated while evaluating primary properties and performance. As a result, we developed new alloy-coated steel with ultra-high corrosion resistance. A Zn-5 wt%Mg-Al coated steel sheet was evaluated for its corrosion resistance and various properties. As the amount of Mg added increased, the corrosion loss tended to decrease. The corrosion resistance of the coated steel sheet in a particular composition, the Zn-5 wt%Mg-Al coating sheet, was about 1.5 to 2 times higher than that of the conventional Zn-3 wt%Mg-Al coating sheet. Ultimately, this ultra-high corrosion-resistance coated steel sheet will provide a robust solution to conserve Zn resources and contribute to a low-carbon society.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2016.11a
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• pp.120-120
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• 2016

Ti-6Al-4V alloy have been used for dental implant because of its excellent biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties. However, the integration of such implant in bone was not in good condition to achieve improved osseointergraiton. For solving this problem, calcium phosphate (CaP) has been applied as coating materials on Ti alloy implants for hard tissue applications because its chemical similarity to the inorganic component of human bone, capability of conducting bone formation and strong affinity to the surrounding bone tissue. Various metallic elements, such as strontium (Sr), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), sodium (Na), silicon (Si), silver (Ag), and yttrium (Y) are known to play an important role in the bone formation and also affect bone mineral characteristics, such as crystallinity, degradation behavior, and mechanical properties. Especially, Zn is essential for the growth of the human and Zn coating has a major impact on the improvement of corrosion resistance. Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is a promising technology to produce porous and firmly adherent inorganic Zn containing $TiO_2(Zn-TiO_2)$coatings on Ti surface, and the a mount of Zn introduced in to the coatings can be optimized by altering the electrolyte composition. In this study, corrosion behavior of Ti-6Al-4V alloy after plasma electrolytic oxidation in solutions containing Ca, P and Zn were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), AC impedance, and potentiodynamic polarization test. A series of $Zn-TiO_2$ coatings are produced on Ti dental implant using PEO, with the substitution degree, respectively, at 0, 5, 10 and 20%. The potentiodynamic polarization and AC impedance tests for corrosion behaviors 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 ranging from 10MHz to 100kHz for corrosion resistance.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.104-112
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• 2024

Al-Zn-Mg-Si alloy coatings have been developed to inhibit corrosion of cold rolled steel sheets, and an understanding of the alloy system helps prevent coating defects. We used a Bridgman furnace to characterise the nature and formation mechanisms of the phases present in the quaternary system with 0.4 wt% Fe. In the directional solidification experiments we imposed steep temperature gradients and varied the pull rate. After the samples were quenched in the furnace, detailed characterization of the samples was carried out by electron microscopy (SEM/EDS). From the dT/dt vs T plots of the cooling curves of the alloys, the solidification path was determined to be $Liquid{\longrightarrow[80]^{544-558}}{\alpha}-Al{\longrightarrow[80]^{453-459}}Al/Mg_2Si{\longrightarrow[80]^{371-374}}Al/Zn{\longrightarrow[80]^{331-333}}Zn/mgZn_2$. The formation mechanisms of the Mg and Zn containing phases and their morphology was discussed together with the effects of the cooling rate. Key findings include the lengthening of the mushy zone in directionally solidified samples remelted against a positive temperature gradient, as well as an enrichening of the α-Al phase by Zn through remelting. Mg₂Si and other Si based phases were observed to adopt a much finer faceted microstructure in favour of a script-like microstructure when exposed to the higher cooling rate of coolant quenching.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2021

PosMAC^® is a brand of Zn-Mg-Al hot-dip coated steel sheet developed by POSCO. PosMAC^® can form dense surface oxides in corrosive environments, providing advanced corrosion resistance compared to traditional Zn coatings such as GI and GA. PosMAC^® 3.0 is available for construction and solar energy systems in severe outdoor environments. PosMAC^®1.5 has better surface quality. It is suitable for automotive and home appliances. Compared to GI and GA, PosMAC^® shows significantly less weight reduction due to corrosion, even with a lower coating thickness. Thin coating of PosMAC^® provides advanced quality and productivity in arc welding applications due to its less generation of Zn fume and spatters. In repeated friction tests, PosMAC^® showed lower surface friction coefficient than conventional coatings such as GA, GI, and lubricant film coated GA. Industrial demand for PosMAC^® steel is expected to increase in the near future due to benefits of anti-corrosion and robust application performance of PosMAC^® steel.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.62-68
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• 2016

A chromium-free Ce-based conversion coating formed by immersion in a solution containing cerium chloride and nitric acid on AZ31 magnesium alloy has been studied. The effects of acid pickling on the morphology and the corrosion resistance of the cerium conversion coating were investigated. The corrosion resistance of the conversion coating prepared on AZ31 Mg alloy after organic acid pickling was better than that of inorganic acid pickling. The morphology of the conversion-coated layer was observed using optical microscope and SEM. Results show that the conversion coatings are relatively uniform and continuous, with thickness 1.0 to $1.1{\mu}m$. The main elements of the conversion coating of AZ31 Mg alloy are Mg, O, Al, Ce and Zn by EDS analysis. The electrochemical polarization results showed that the Ce-based conversion coating could reduce the corrosion activity of the AZ31 Mg alloy substrates in the presence of chloride ions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2018.06a
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• pp.75-75
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• 2018

Commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) and Ti-6Al-4V alloys have been widely used in implant materials such as dental and orthopedic implants due to their corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, and good mechanical properties. However, surface modification of titanium and titanium alloys is necessary to improve osseointegration between implant surface and bone. Especially, when titanium oxide nanotubes are formed on the surface of titanium alloy, cell adhesion is greatly improved. In addition, plasma electrolytic oxide (PEO) coatings have a good safety for osseointegration and can easily and quickly form coatings of uniform thickness with various pore sizes. Recently, the effects of bone element such as magnesium, zinc, strontium, silicon, and manganese for bone regeneration are researching in dental implant field. The purpose of this study was researched on the surface morphology of PEO-treated Ti-6Al-4V alloy after anodic titanium oxide treatmentusing various instruments. Ti-6Al-4V ELI disks were used as specimens for nanotube formation and PEO-treatment. The solution for the nanotube formation experiment was 1 M $H_3PO_4$ + 0.8 wt. % NaF electrolyte was used. The applied potential was 30V for 1 hours. The PEO treatment was performed after removing the nanotubes by ultrasonics for 10 minutes. The PEO treatment after removal of the nanotubes was carried out in the $Ca(CH_3)_2{\cdot}H_2O+(CH_3COO)_2Mg{\cdot}4H_2O+Mn(CH_3COO)_2{\cdot}4H_2O+Zn(CH_3CO_2)_2Zn{\cdot}2H_2O+Sr(CH_2COO)_2{\cdot}0.5H_2O+C_3H_7CaO_6P$ and $Na_2SiO_3{\cdot}9H_2O$ electrolytes. And the PEO-treatment time and potential were 3 minutes at 280V. The morphology changes of the coatings on Ti-6Al-4V alloy surface were observed using FE-SEM, EDS, XRD, AFM, and scratch tester. The morphology of PEO-treated surface in 5 ion coating solution after nanotube removal showed formation or nano-sized mesh and micro-sized pores.