Steel is one of the most substantial alloys used in various applications due to its ravishing properties such as high toughness, good machining ability, and low cost. However, steel suffers weak corrosion and wear resistance to address the current industry demands. Indeed, employing a ceramic coating produced via plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) has been exploited to enhance steel’s protective properties against corrosive and abrasive conditions. Nevertheless, steel surface features in striking contrast to valve-metals hamper the formation of ceramic coatings.
