Quasi-in vivo corrosion behavior of AZ31B Mg alloy with hybrid MWCNTs-PEO/PCL based coatings

This study investigated the effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) and polycaprolactone(PCL) on the quasi-in vivo corrosion behavior of AZ31B Mg alloy treated by plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO). Thin(~2 μm, PCTPCL4) and thick(~60 μm, PCTPCL6) PCL layers were applied only onto the MWCNTs-PEO coating(PCT) as it showed better corrosion performance. Findings reveal that incorporation of MWCNTs induced several structural and functional modifications in the PEO coating, such as increased roughness, a thicker inner barrier layer, and reduced hydrophilicity.Quasi-in vivo corrosion testing was carried out under controlled temperature, p H, and fluid flow in simulated body fluid(SBF) by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) and hydrogen evolution experiments. EIS results revealed that, after 48 h immersion, a diffusion process controlled hydration of the ceramic coatings. Comparison of the collected hydrogen after 15 days of immersion in the quasi-in vivo environment revealed that the PEO and PCT ceramic coatings decreased hydrogen generation by up to 74% and 91%, respectively, compared to non-coated alloy.PCTPCL6 coating exhibited the lowest amount of collected hydrogen(0.2 m L/cm^(2)). The thick PCL layer delayed the onset of substrate corrosion for at least 120 h, reducing the corrosion rate by 85% compared with the PCT.