Oxidation resistance of magnesium alloyed by different elements: a brief review

Abstract

The application of magnesium (Mg) and its alloys in automotive and aerospace industry is promoted gradually because of its outstanding properties, such as light weight, high specific strength and excellent castability. However, as a chemically active metal, Mg and its alloys generally possess low oxidation resistance in air at high temperatures because of the high affinity of Mg for O. This has caused a lot of industrial waste and a short service life. In the present work, according to the relevant mechanism of Mg alloy oxidation in air at high temperature, the effect of alloying elements on the oxidation of pure Mg and Mg alloys as well as the research progress of oxidation resistant Mg alloys are briefly reviewed.