Oxidation kinetics of magnesium alloys treated by tantalum ions implantation

AZ31 magnesium alloys were implanted with tantalum ions with doses of 1 × 1016, 5 × 1016 and 1 × 1017 ions/cm2, using a metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) at an extraction voltage of 45 kV. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis suggested that tantalum ions implantation promoted the formation of the pre-oxidation layer and a new Ta2Al phase was formed in the implanted layer. Then, the oxidation kinetics of the implanted specimens was investigated by isothermal oxidation at 773 K in pure O2 up to 90 min. The results showed that after implantation treatments the oxidation resistance of the specimens was significantly improved and the specimen with the highest dose had the best oxidation resistance. Finally, the mechanism of the anti-oxidation effects was also discussed.