Improvement of biodegradable and antibacterial properties by solution treatment and micro-arc oxidation (MAO) of a magnesium alloy with a trace of copper

For a Mg-0.06Cu alloy, the solution treatment significantly decreased the corrosion rate compared with the as-cast condition due to the decrease of the amount of cathodic Mg2Cu phase particles. The micro-arc oxidation (MAO) produced a coating layer that separated the substrate from the solution so that the MAO treated condition had a corrosion rate that was 1/76 of that of the as-cast condition. Antibacterial test revealed that MAO coating on as-cast and solution treated conditions possessed excellent antibacterial ability, which might be attributed to the porous structure of the coating and the presence of a trace amount of copper.