Progress and Perspectives of Sol-gel Anti-corrosion Coatings on Aluminum Alloy

Aluminum and its alloys have many excellent properties, such as the low density and high strength/weight ratio, and so on. They are widely used in many industries. However, poor resistance to corrosion limits their application. One of the effective ways to improve their corrosion resistance is preparation of anti-corrosion coatings on aluminum alloys by sol-gel technology, which has advantages of simple operation, environmental protection and so on. It is expected to replace the conventional harmful chromate treatment technology. In this paper, sol-gel anti-corrosion coatings on aluminum alloys, such as oxides, organic coatings, ormosil coatings, dopant-containing ormosil coatings are reviewed. The challenges for industrial productions and future research on sol-gel corrosion protective coatings are also briefly discussed.