Tribological Properties of the Fast Ceramic Conversion Treated Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo Alloy with a Pre-Deposited Gold Layer

Ceramic conversion treatment (CCT) is an effective way to modify the surface of titanium alloys. However, this process normally needs more than a 100-h treatment at 600–700 °C to form a hard and wear-resistant titanium oxide layer. In this paper, we pre-deposited a thin gold layer on the surface of Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo (Ti6242) samples before CCT to investigate if Au can speed up the treatment. Treatments at 640/670/700 °C were carried out for 10 or 120 h. After CCT, the surface roughness, surface morphology, microstructure, elemental composition, and phase constituents were characterized. Surface hardness and the nano-hardness depth distribution were measured. Finally, reciprocating sliding tribological tests were carried out to study the friction and wear of the surface layers. Thin gold layers accelerated the CCT significantly with a much thicker oxide layer. The friction of the untreated Ti6242 alloy against the WC ball was unsteady and high, but it was much lower and stable for the CCTed samples pre-deposited with Au because of the formation of titanium oxides and lubrication effect of the gold particles. The wear resistance of the CCTed Ti6242 alloy samples with gold was reinforced significantly. By pre-depositing a thin gold layer on the surface of Ti6242, the treatment time can be cut significantly, and CCT becomes more efficient.