This work is devoted to the synthesis of coatings containing a number of transition elements by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) on aluminium A1050 alloy. The paper discusses PEO coatings obtained in silicate-alkaline electrolytes containing complexes of Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, La and Ba with ethylenediaminetetraacetic anion edta(4-). It is also focused on the chemical basis of the electrolyte components choice and their role in the process of PEO. Possible mechanism of coating formation process is also discussed. Alternating current mode (symmetrical sinusoidal current pulses, initial average current density - 100 mA cm(-2)) was used to produce the coatings. The PEO process was characterized by behaviours of the anodic and cathodic peak voltage curves. Coating surfaces and cross sections are studied by optical dark field microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray and energy dispersive analysis. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.