Corrosion performance of MAO coatings on AZ31 Mg alloy in simulated body fluid vs. Earle's Balance Salt Solution

Abstract

Earle's Balance Salt Solution (EBSS) provides an alternative to the conventional simulated body fluids (c-SBF) and has been shown to better simulate the corrosion conditions in vivo. In this work, a series of tests were conducted to explore the corrosion performance of MAO-coated AZ31 samples in EBSS vs. c-SBF. Samples were produced by varying MAO process parameters and then immersed up to 21 days in both EBSS and c-SBF. The corrosion rates were evaluated by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic scanning. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to compare the progression of microcracks across the surface of the coatings. The evaluation of cross-sectional thickness showed an increase in MAO coating thickness with the process voltage. MAO samples with a thicker coating generally have higher impedance and lower current density at the initial immersion time point of 0.5h. Samples in EBSS showed higher initial impedance and lower current density values as compared to c-SBF counterparts for all process groups. Samples in EBSS demonstrated a much slower corrosion rate than c-SBF samples because of the decreased chloride content and CO2 buffering mechanism of the EBSS.