State-of-art on corrosion and protection of magnesium alloys based on patent literatures

The state-of-art of patented technologies for surface treatment of magnesium alloys including chemical conversion, electrochemical plating, surface coating, and multiple-step surface treatment technologies was reviewed and analyzed. Some new techniques were introduced. It was found that conversion film technologies account for a large amount of proportion among the patents of surface treatment. These technologies are also the main technologies used in industry. As the structures and service conditions of Mg alloy parts are of variety, a single surface-treatment process can not satisfy all requirements. Combined surface-treatment techniques can meet the needs in different applications. More and more new and environmental friendly techniques were invented. Factors such as capital investment, ease of manufacturing, and coating performances have to be considered when developing a coating technology for the industrial application.