The anodic film generated in acid electrolytes on high-purity aluminum shows a porous morphology, formed by the packing of approximately hexagonal cells of alumina, containing a centrally located cylindrical pore. Conversely, during anodizing of an AA2024 T3 alloy, the presence of alloying elements, both in solid solution and as second-phase material, influences the filming behavior, with a less regular film morphology developed above the aluminum alloy matrix, and characteristic morphologies generated above and in the zone of influence of second-phase particles. Further, the anodizing behavior of the alloying elements is determined by the applied potential. In this work, the anodizing behavior of AA2024 T3 commercial alloy in sulfuric acid electrolyte has been characterized. Specifically, phenomena related to the oxidation of the second-phase particles have been separated from those associated with the oxidation of the copper-containing aluminum matrix. This has used electrochemical data obtained under potentiostatic and potentiodynamic conditions for the AA2024 T3 alloy, high-purity aluminum, and model Al-Cu alloys, which have been correlated with detailed examination of plan and sectional views of the anodized substrates.

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Model analogues of the metallurgical phases found in 2xxx and 7xxx series aluminium alloys were produced by magnetron sputtering and employed to investigate the local and general anodising behaviour of the alloys. Electrochemical tests, allied with scanning and transmission electron microscopy, enabled insight into the local anodising behaviour of the constituents and related effects on the overall porous oxide morphology. Under potentiodynamic conditions, the observed anodic current peaks of the commercial alloys were related with the anodic oxidation of specific second-phase particles. At 0 V, magnesiumcontaining particles, including S-phase, were preferentially removed from the alloy surface; at 5-6 V SCE , the copper-and/or iron-containing particles, such as θ phase and Al 7 Cu 2 Fe particles were anodically oxidised. The initial voltage transient revealed for the commercial alloys during galvanostatic anodising was related to the previous findings and reproduced by the use of coupled alloy analogues. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the voltage transient associated with oxidation of second-phase material influence the morphology of the anodic film formed on the aluminium matrix.