surfacetreated

Surface-treated is an adjective used in materials science to describe a material whose surface has undergone a treatment to modify properties such as corrosion resistance, wear behavior, or adhesion. The term is typically hyphenated as surface-treated, though some catalogs may present it as a single word. It applies to metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites and is common in automotive, aerospace, electronics, and medical device contexts.

Treatments include mechanical finishing (polishing, shot peening) and chemical processes (etching, passivation, phosphating), electrochemical methods (anodizing, plating, electro-polishing), and coatings or deposits (PVD, CVD, paint or polymer coatings). Surface modification also occurs via plasma treatment, laser texturing, and thermal approaches. The objective is to tailor surface energy, roughness, hardness, or chemical stability to suit the service environment. The choice of method depends on the base material, desired properties, and compatibility with production and cost constraints.

Commonly affected properties include corrosion resistance, wear resistance, friction, adhesion, biocompatibility, and color. Specifications may specify coating thickness, roughness, adhesion, and chemical composition, along with tests such as corrosion, scratch, or adhesion tests and wettability measurements. While surface-treated parts can offer improved performance, durability under service conditions and possible changes to bulk properties should be considered.