Ion implanted AZ31 magnesium alloy

Ion implantation was applied to modify the surface properties of magnesium alloy. About 75 keV titanium ions with a dose of 5x10(17) ions/cm(-2) and about 35 keV nitrogen ions with a dose of 3x10(17) ions/cm(-2) were implanted into AZ31 magnesium alloy, respectively. AFM and FESEM were used to examine the surface morphology of the treated samples. In contrast to the smooth surface treated by N ion implantation, the Ti-treated surface was severely damaged. AES analysis reveals that both kinds of ions implanted in AZ31 magnesium alloy took on a quasi-Gaussian distribution in the near surface region. In the corrosion test, the N-implanted sample showed a better corrosion resistance in 3.5wt.% NaCl solution than bare AZ31 sample, whereas the Ti-implanted sample accelerated the corrosion behavior of AZ31 in this solution.