Ceramic coatings with high emission were fabricated on Ti6Al4V alloy by microarc oxidation (MAO) with additive FeSO4 into the electrolyte. The microstructure, chemical composition and chemical state of the coatings were determined by SEM, XRD, EDS and XPS, respectively. The bonding strength between the coating and substrate was studied by tensile strength test, together with the thermal shock resistance of the coating. The results showed that Fe content in the coating layer significantly affect its thermal emissivity. The relative content of Fe in the coatings surface increased at first and then decreased with increasing the concentration of FeSO4 in electrolytes, so does the emissivity of the coatings. The bonding strength became weaker with increasing the concentration of FeSO4. In addition, the coating remains stable over 40 cycles of thermal shocking. The coating formed at 3 g/L FeSO4 demonstrates the highest an average spectral emissivity value around of 0.87, and bonding strength higher than 33 MPa. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.