Impact of Various Post-treatment Methods on the Surface Properties of Cd-Ti Plated A100 Steel

HUANG Hailiang; BIAN Guixue; LI Yan; LI Yizhe

doi:10.7643/issn.1672-9242.2025.08.007

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Equipment Environmental Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (8) : 54-61. DOI: 10.7643/issn.1672-9242.2025.08.007

Special Topic—Application and Collaborative Evaluation Technology of Light Weapons in Complex Environments

Impact of Various Post-treatment Methods on the Surface Properties of Cd-Ti Plated A100 Steel

HUANG Hailiang, BIAN Guixue, LI Yan, LI Yizhe

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Abstract

The work aims to provide theoretical basis and experimental evidence for the scientific selection and optimization of post-treatment strategies for electroplated cadmium-titanium (Cd-Ti) coatings on ultra-high-strength steel aircraft components. The Cd-Ti coatings were electrodeposited on A100 steel—a material now widely used in new-generation aircraft. Three post-treatment methods of chromate passivation, phosphating, and phosphating followed by hydrophobic sealing were applied. The effects of these treatments on the performance of the Cd-Ti-coated A100 steel were systematically compared through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning Kelvin probe (SKP), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The three post-treatment method—passivation, phosphating, and phosphating followed by hydrophobic sealing—altered the color of the Cd-Ti coating from yellowish-white to yellow and light grey. Passivation reduced the surface roughness (Ra), while phosphating and the combined phosphating and hydrophobic sealing significantly increased Ra. The average volta potential of the passivated specimens was similar to that of the untreated coating. In contrast, phosphated and hydrophobically phosphated surfaces exhibited a notable potential increase. Among the treated specimens, the phosphating + hydrophobic treatment resulted in the lowest standard deviation in potential distribution, indicating the most uniform surface electrochemistry, followed by passivation, with phosphating alone showing the least uniformity. Potentiodynamic tests revealed that the phosphating+hydrophobic treatment produced the highest corrosion potential (E_corr) and the lowest corrosion current density (J_corr). Similarly, EIS results showed the largest film resistance (R_f) and charge transfer resistance (R_ct) for this combined treatment. The passivated specimens had icorr and R_ct values comparable to those of the phosphating+hydrophobic system, but their R_f values were significantly lower, likely due to a thinner conversion film. In comparison, the J_corr of the phosphated specimen was relatively lower than that of the untreated coating but the R_f increased significantly (approximately three times that of the untreated specimen) and the R_ct was even lower than that of the untreated specimen. In summary, the corrosion resistance and localized corrosion inhibition capability of the three post-treatment processes rank as follows: phosphating+hydrophobic treatment>passivation>phosphating.

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Cd-Ti plating / phosphating / passivation / hydrophobization / corrosion / A100 steel

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HUANG Hailiang, BIAN Guixue, LI Yan, LI Yizhe. Impact of Various Post-treatment Methods on the Surface Properties of Cd-Ti Plated A100 Steel[J]. Equipment Environmental Engineering. 2025, 22(8): 54-61 https://doi.org/10.7643/issn.1672-9242.2025.08.007

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