Optical properties of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation coatings on aluminium alloy surface
Aleksejs Zolotarjovs from Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia speaks at the scientific workshop of ISSP UL Doctoral School “Functional Materials and Nanotechnologies”.
Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) is a process for producing thick (tens of microns), hard and chemically stable oxide coatings on metal surfaces. For decades, the process is under investigation by both scientific and industrial communities due to the low operational cost and ease of production. Due to the flexibility of the process, in the last couple of years, novel possibilities of PEO are quickly emerging: biocompatibility, antibacterial, photovoltaic, photocatalysis and other properties of the coatings are intensively studied.
This work explores the different aspects of luminescence properties of PEO coatings. Both process modification possibilities and practical applications are studied, with the focus on correlation between synthesis parameters and optical properties of the coatings.
Three main topics are covered in this thesis:
- Doping of the oxide structure with additives to achieve desired luminescence output
- Production of dosimeter-like coatings and evaluation of their performance
- Synthesis of complex oxide structure of doped strontium aluminate thus creating longlasting phosphorescent coatings
In combination with inherited PEO properties like outstanding hardness, great adhesion to thesurface, chemical stability and quick production, the added luminescence properties can make this coating technology promising for practical applications in existing and newly developed fields.
Thesis 1: The doping of alumina PEO coatings can be achieved in three ways: alloying the metal substrate; using three-stage pore filling process and by adding dopants to electrolyte.
Thesis 2: The PEO process is applicable for the doping of alumina coating with carbon or chromium atoms increasing the intensity of thermostimulated luminescence thus making the material promising for applications in detection of ionizing radiation.
Thesis 3: PEO process can be used as an efficient alternative to the solid state reaction in production of complex oxide phosphorescent coating