Advance in Antibacterial Magnesium Alloys and Surface Coatings on Magnesium Alloys: A Review

Magnesium (Mg) alloys as a bioabsorbable light metal have shown great clinical potential as bone replacement implants. In this review, the categories, progress in cutting-edge preparation technologies and antibacterial mechanisms of Mg alloys and considerable numbers of corrosion-resistant and functional coatings are summarized. The relationship among the microstructure (grain size, intermetallic compounds), biocorrosion resistance and biocompatibility for antibacterial Mg alloys is discussed. The challenge and outlooks of biomedical Mg alloys and coatings are proposed from an antibacterial perspective.