Characteristics of selenium-containing coatings on WE43 magnesium alloy by micro-arc oxidation

Abstract Selenium-containing coatings were developed on WE43 magnesium alloy by micro-arc oxidation (MAO). The results show that anodic coatings fabricated by one-step and two-step MAO treatment separately contain 1.95 wt% and 1.39 wt% Se. Se in MAO coatings is present in Se2− and Se0. The developed coatings doped with Se significantly improve the corrosion resistance of coated WE43 alloy substrate. Compared with one-step MAO, two-step MAO can further improve the coating corrosion resistance of coated Mg alloy substrate due to fewer micro-cracks and greater thickness.