Investigation of Tribological Behavior of Ceramic–Graphene Composite Coating Produced by Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation

Plasma electrolyte oxidation coatings were formed on AZ31 magnesium alloy in the phosphate electrolyte containing 0 and 5 g L−1 graphenes at different process times. The composition and microstructure of the coatings were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The SEM images showed that by increasing the coating time, the number of coating pores decreased whereas the diameter of coating pores increased. Furthermore, the diameter and number of pores related to ceramic–graphene composite coatings were lower than ceramic ones. XRD analysis indicated that major constituents of coatings were MgO and Mg3(PO4)2. The pin-on-disk sliding tests revealed that the wear loss and coefficient of friction of ceramic–graphene composite coatings were lower than simple ones.