Effect of alternating voltage treatment on the corrosion resistance of pure magnesium

Pure magnesium was treated by alternating voltage (AV) treatment technique. The optimal AV-treatment parameters for greatly improving corrosion resistance were determined by the orthogonal experiments. Polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) were performed to understand the effect of AV-treatment on the corrosion resistance of pure magnesium. AFM, contact angle measurement and XPS were employed to further investigate the influence of AV-treatment on the properties of the surface film formed on pure magnesium after AV-treatment. The results showed that a uniform and stable film was formed and the corrosion resistance of pure magnesium was greatly improved after AV-treatment. This was caused by the noticeable change of chemical structure and semi conducting properties of surface film after AV-treatment.