anodizing
Process that increases the resistance to corrosion of a metal, such as aluminium, by building up a protective oxide layer on the surface. The natural corrosion resistance of aluminium is provided by a thin film of aluminium oxide; anodizing increases the thickness of this film and thus the corrosion protection.
It is so called because the metal becomes the anode in an electrolytic bath containing a solution of, for example, sulphuric or chromic acid as the electrolyte. During electrolysis oxygen is produced at the anode, where it combines with the metal to form an oxide film.
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