Long-term corrosion inhibition mechanism of microarc oxidation coated AZ31 Mg alloys for biomedical applications

This paper addresses the long-term corrosion behavior of microarc oxidation coated Mg alloys immersed in simulated body fluid for 28 days. The coatings on AZ31 Mg alloys were produced in the electrolyte of sodium phosphate (Na3PO4) at the concentration of 20 g/L, 30 g/L and 40 g/L, respectively. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical micrograph were used to observe the microstructure of the samples before and after corrosion. The composition of the MAO coating and corrosion products were determined by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Corrosion product identification showed that hydroxyapatite (HA) was formed on the surface of the corroded samples. The ratio of Ca/P in HA determined by the X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) technique showed that HA is an acceptable biocompatible implant material. The potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to characterize the corrosion rate and the electrochemical impedance. The corrosion resistance of the coated Mg alloys can be enhanced by optimizing the electrolyte concentrations for fabricating samples, and is enhanced after immersing the coated samples in simulated body fluid for more than 14 days. The enhanced corrosion resistance after long-term immersion is attributed to a corrosion product layer formed on the sample surface. The inhibition mechanism of the corrosion process is discussed and presented with an animation.