Annealing of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloy at High Pressures: Evolution of Microstructure and the Corrosion Behavior

Extruded Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy samples with grains aligned parallel to the extrusion direction were subjected to high-pressure annealing. The effects of annealing pressure on the microstructure, hardness, and corrosion properties (evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)) were investigated. Phase analysis showed the presence of MgZn2 and α-Al phases, the MgZn2 phase dissolved into the matrix, and its amount decreased with the increasing annealing pressure. The recrystallization was inhibited, and the grains were refined, leading to an increase in the Vickers hardness with increasing the annealing pressure. The corrosion resistance was improved after high-pressure treatment, and a stable passivation layer was observed. Meanwhile, the number of corrosion pits and the width of corrosion cracks decreased in the high-pressure annealed samples.

THE EFFECT OF ANNEALING PRESSURE AND TIME ON THE CRYSTALLINITY OF CZTSe

In this study, the effect of annealing pressure and time on the homogeneity and the formation of kesternite (Cu2ZnSnSe4; CZTSe) structure was investigated. The deposition of CZTSe coating was carried out using an electroplating method. The morphology and crystal structure of the coating were investigated using SEM–EDS, XRD and Raman spectroscopy. CZTSe films with optimized crystallinity and uniformity were obtained using an annealing process performed at 10 Torr for 1[Formula: see text]h. The use of lower pressures increases the crystallinity and the purity of CZTSe film and decreases the density of secondary phases and the annealing time provides an additional benefit.