Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coatings were prepared on aluminium alloy using pulsed bipolar power supply at constant anodic voltage and different cathodic voltages. The samples were prepared to attain the same coating thickness by adjusting the processing time. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and tribometer were employed to investigate the microstructure, element content, phase composition and wear resistance of the coatings respectively. It was found that the coating growth rate enhanced obviously and the coatings exhibited a more compact structure with thicker inner layer and lower surface roughness when the cathodic voltage increased. The coatings were mainly composed of crystalline gamma-Al2O3 and amorphous silicate oxides and their relative content changed with the cathodic voltage. The wear resistance of the coatings improved significantly with the increase of cathodic voltage. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.