Corrosion behavior of titanium dioxide (TiO₂)-coated Al alloy in saline environment

Abstract

Al alloys have been used in many applications, however, they are susceptible to corrosion when exposed in saline environment. In this work, TiO₂ nanoellipsoids with aspect ratios (AR) of 1, 2, 4 and 6 were synthesized, TiO₂ coatings of AR 1, AR2, AR4, and AR6 were fabricated on AA2024-T3 Al alloy substrate, and their corrosion behaviors in the saline environment were investigated by analyzing the scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging, potentiodynamic polarization scans and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. TiO₂-coated Al samples showed better corrosion performance compared to the bare Al sample. Among the coated samples, TiO₂ AR6 coated samples showed lower corrosion rate compared to other samples. Although TiO₂ nanoellipsoids coatings show good corrosion resistance, it is noted that TiO₂ coatings are porous, which allows the penetration of corrosive media through the pores to reach the surface of the substrate. A polystyrene (PS)-TiO₂ AR6 nanocomposite coating was fabricated, where the pores of the coatings were sealed by polystyrene, which is expected to further improve the corrosion resistance of TiO₂ coatings.