Corrosion and Protection of Magnesium Alloys: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

Magnesium alloys are of significant importance for lightweight manufacturing and weight-saving applications due to their high weight-to-strength ratio and good mechanical properties. However, the poor corrosion resistance of Mg alloys limits their large-scale practical application. An essential theoretical foundation for the development of corrosion-resistant magnesium alloys and their surface protection technologies can be elucidated via the investigation of the corrosion mechanism of the magnesium surface and the alteration of the corrosion rate after surface conversion and coating. This paper discusses some typical corrosion behaviors by originally describing the corrosion mechanism of magnesium alloys with and without different coatings and surface treatments. In order to predict the future theoretical investigation and research directions for the surface protection of magnesium alloys, some techniques and preventative measures to enhance the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys are reviewed, and these protection techniques are intercompared for better understanding.