Corrosion performance of Mg-Ti alloys synthesized by magnetron sputtering

Abstract

Mg is difficult to alloy with Ti through a conventional metallurgical approach due to their insolubility in each other and big difference in melting point. However, Mg, if alloyed with Ti, may become corrosion resistant. This hypothesis is verified in this study. Mg1-xTix alloy thin films (with x=0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1) were deposited by magnetron sputtering onto a glass substrate. Film compositions were analyzed by electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA). The electrochemical behavior of these alloys was characterized in saturated Mg(OH)2 solutions with and without 0.1M NaCl. The macrostructures of the thin film alloys were compared before and after polarization and immersion measurements. The results showed that the corrosion resistance of the alloy was improved with increasing Ti content. No material loss or corrosion damage was observed for alloys with 80% or more Ti content in both solutions.