Rapid Fabrication of Magnesium Hydroxide Layer on Magnesium Alloy to Improve Corrosion Resistance

A simple and rapid method of fabricating Mg(OH)2 layer by chemical immersion was developed to improve the corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy AZ31. The fabricated surface was superhydrophobic with a self-assembled monolayer coating of silane. The surface characteristics were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The average water contact angle and sliding angle were determined to be 160° and 7° respectively as a result of wettability test. Potentiodynamic polarization indicated that both Mg(OH)2 layer and the thin layer of air were effective in improving anti-corrosion. This method which is efficient with regard to time and cost would be useful for magnesium industries and its application