Electrodeposition of Al-Ti Alloy Using K2TiF6-BMIC-AlCl3 Ionic Liquid at Room Temperature

FAN Jiabao; ZHONG Qingdong; YANG Jian; WANG Xuemei; ZHANG Shujian; ZHONG Haixia; YU Yucheng; MA Lan

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.12.008

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Surface Technology ›› 2025, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (12) : 97-104. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.12.008

Corrosion and Protection

Electrodeposition of Al-Ti Alloy Using K₂TiF₆-BMIC-AlCl₃ Ionic Liquid at Room Temperature

FAN Jiabao¹, ZHONG Qingdong^1,2,*, YANG Jian¹, WANG Xuemei¹, ZHANG Shujian¹, ZHONG Haixia¹, YU Yucheng², MA Lan²

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Abstract

Al-Ti alloy coating exhibits superior corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance, and thermal stability. Chloro-aluminate ionic liquid is regarded as the most advantageous electrolyte for the electrodeposition of pure aluminum and aluminum alloy coatings. Aluminum chloride and titanium tetrachloride are frequently utilized as the aluminum and titanium sources for the electrodeposition of Al-Ti alloy respectively. However, aluminum chloride and titanium tetrachloride possess strong hygroscopic properties and are prone to hydrolysis when exposed to air, thereby being unable to deposit Al-Ti alloy. This requires a closed operating environment with an extremely low water oxygen value, which is highly unsuitable for industrial production. We hope to prepare Al-Ti alloy coatings in atmospheric environments at room temperature by replacing the titanium source and using decane which does not react with ionic liquid as the isolation layer, so as to prove the feasibility of ion-liquid electrodeposition of aluminum alloy coating on an industrial scale.
In this work, the dried potassium fluotitanate powder is added into the 66.7-33.3 mol% AlCl₃-1-buthyl-3- methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid and stirred at room temperature for 12 h to obtain K₂TiF₆-AlCl₃-BMIC ionic liquid. At room temperature and in an atmospheric environment, Al-Ti alloy is prepared by electrodeposition on a copper sheet by DC power supply with a double electrode system. A 20 mm × 15 mm × 1 mm pure titanium sheet is used as anode, and a copper electrode is used as cathode. The distance between cathode and anode is 20 mm. Before electrodeposition, the copper electrode is polished to a mirror finish with 40 nm silica suspension after being ground with metallographic sandpaper (e.g. 400#, 800#, 1 500#, 2 000#). The influences of current density and potassium fluotitanate concentration on its composition and morphology are investigated. Finally, the corrosion properties of Al-Ti alloy coatings are tested through an electrochemical workstation, and the coatings with different compositions are compared. The test is performed at room temperature in a 3.5% NaCl (mass fraction) solution.
When the applied current density amounts to 20 mA/cm², the coating takes on a dendritic form. The current density decreases from 15 mA/cm² to 5 mA/cm², and the coating presents a diamond shape with the particle size gradually diminishing. The Ti content of the fabricated dense Al-Ti alloy coating ranges from 2.8 to 19.0wt.%. When the concentration of K₂TiF₆ in the ionic liquid of AlCl₃-BMIC attains 0.45 mol/L, the highest Ti content of the Al-Ti alloy coating obtained by applying a 10 mA/cm² current reaches 19wt.%. The self-corrosion potential of the Al-Ti alloy coating with 17.6wt.% Ti at room temperature (25 ℃) in a 3.5wt.% NaCl solution system is -0.565 V (vs. SCE), the self-corrosion current density is 1.84 μA/cm², and the polarization resistance value is 59 570 Ω·cm².
Reducing the current density can reduce the particle size of the coating and make the coating denser. The Ti content of Al-Ti alloy coating can be increased by increasing the concentration of potassium fluotitanate. The Ti content of Al-Ti alloy coating can affect the corrosion resistance of the coating. Increasing the Ti content in the coating, the coating exhibits excellent corrosion resistance.

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ionic liquid / electrodeposition / Al-Ti alloy / potassium fluotitanate / corrosion resistance

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FAN Jiabao, ZHONG Qingdong, YANG Jian, WANG Xuemei, ZHANG Shujian, ZHONG Haixia, YU Yucheng, MA Lan. Electrodeposition of Al-Ti Alloy Using K₂TiF₆-BMIC-AlCl₃ Ionic Liquid at Room Temperature[J]. Surface Technology. 2025, 54(12): 97-104 https://doi.org/10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.12.008

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