The Effect of Different Annealing Temperatures on Tribo-mechanical Properties and Corrosion Behavior of Zirconium

Abstract

In this study, zirconia (ZrO2) nanotube arrays were fabricated by anodizing pure zirconium (Zr) in ethylene glycol and ammonium fluoride electrolyte at a constant potential of 80 V for 2h. To investigate the effect of annealing temperatures on morphology, microstructure, and tribological properties of the coating, the coated samples were annealed at different annealing temperatures including 200°C, and 400°C. Structural investigations of coating were performed utilizing X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the morphology and microstructure of coatings. The wear test revealed that the annealed treatment of 400◦C of coating showed a considerably lowest average friction coefficient compared to other samples. Corrosion test carried out in the synthetic medium confirmed that the corrosion resistance of the annealed treatment of 400◦C coating was significantly higher than to other samples.