Environmental friendly plasma electrolytic oxidation of AM60 magnesium alloy and its corrosion resistance

Plasma electrolytic oxidation of Mg-based AM60 alloys was investigated using 50 Hz AC anodizing technique in an alkaline borate solution, which contained a new kind of organic. The anodic film is relatively smooth with some micro pores and cracks, while the anodic film consists of MgO, MgAl2O4 and MgSiO3. The electrochemical behavior of anodic film was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization. Polarization results indicate the PEO treatment can decrease corrosion current by 3–4 magnitude compared with blank AM60 alloy. The anodic film presents a good level of corrosion protection for AM60 magnesium alloy, over 272 h of the salt spray test based on ASTM B117. The effect of micro-structure and composition on corrosion protection efficiency was also investigated.