Effects of tantalum ion implantation on the corrosion behavior of AZ31 magnesium alloys

Using a metal vapor vacuum arc source operated at an extraction voltage of 45 kV, AZ31 magnesium alloys were implanted with tantalum ions with doses ranging from 1 × 1016 to 1 × 1017 ions/cm2. After treatment, the depth distribution and valence states of elements in the surface of the samples were analyzed by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The potentiodynamic polarization technique and immersion test were applied to evaluate the corrosion resistance of the implanted samples. It was found that the corrosion resistance of the implanted samples was improved, attributing to the formation of the pre-oxidation layer. The mechanism of the corrosion behavior of the implanted samples was discussed.