Evaluation of biodegradability of surface treated AZ91 magnesium alloy in SBF solution

•Surface treatment of Mg alloy AZ91 in H2O2 solution was achieved.•Surface treatment encouraged the formation of stable oxide layer over the alloy.•Higher bioresistivity of surface treated alloy evidenced by electrochemical studies.

Magnesium and its alloys have attracted extensive attention as a prospective bioimplant. We have successfully employed chemical treatment in the presence of H2O2 to modify the surface and the effect of treatment was investigated in simulated body fluid environment. The electrochemical techniques were used to assess the corrosion protection performance of the AZ91 Mg alloy in SBF solution, while FT-IR, SEM and EDX analyses were carried out to envisage the surface characteristics, and XRD and XPS techniques were performed to further substantiate the findings. The results revealed that the surface treated magnesium alloy could serve as a better bioimplant material.