Influences of pulse frequency on formation and properties of composite anodic oxide films on Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al alloy

A thick composite anodic oxide film was fabricated in an environmentally friendly malic acid electrolyte containing PolyTetraFluoroEthylene (PTFE) nanoparticles on Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al alloys. The influence of pulse frequency on the morphology, microstructure and composition of composite anodic oxide films containing PTFE nanoparticles was investigated using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy. The tribological properties in terms of the friction coefficient, wear loss and morphology of worn surfaces were measured by ball-on-disc tests. The electrochemical property was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization. The results indicated that the titanium dioxide of composite anodic oxide films transformed from anatase to rutile with the change of pulse frequency, which could result from the electrochemical dynamic equilibrium. The combination of PTFE nanoparticles and malic acid electrolyte molecules can influence the energy fluctuation of electrochemical equilibrium and formation of composite anodic oxide films. Moreover, composite anodic oxide films fabricated under the condition of 1.0–2.0 Hz exhibited the best wear resistance and corrosion property. The schematic diagram of the film formation and PTFE nanoparticles spreading process under different frequencies was elucidated.