Chromate conversion coating

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Chromate conversion coating or alodine coating is a type of conversion coating used to passivate steel, aluminium, zinc, cadmium, copper, silver, titanium, magnesium, and tin alloys. The coating serves as a corrosion inhibitor, as a primer to improve the adherence of paints and adhesives, as a decorative finish, or to preserve electrical conductivity. It also provides some resistance to abrasion and light chemical attack (such as bare fingers) on soft metals. Chromate conversion coatings are commonly applied to items such as screws, hardware and tools. They usually impart a distinctively iridescent, greenish-yellow color to otherwise white or gray metals. The coating has a non-stoichiometric composition that includes chromium salts, arranged in a complex structure. The process is sometimes called alodine coating, a term used specifically in reference to the trademarked Alodine process of Henkel Surface Technologies.