Sol–gel silica coatings on ZE41 magnesium alloy for corrosion protection

Silica coatings have been applied on the surface of ZE41 magnesium alloy following the organic sol–gel route and the dip-coating technique. Three different concentrations of sol solution and two densification temperatures of the coating (400 °C and 500 °C) were used to optimize the compaction of the coatings and as a result reach the corrosion protection of the metallic substrate tests in 3.5 wt.% NaCl aqueous solution. Crack-free coatings with thickness in the 2–3 μm were obtained on the ZE41 magnesium alloy. The combination of high alkoxide concentration in the sol–gel formulation, and the high sintering temperature (500 °C) leads to coating (D500) with the optimal physical barrier against the corrosion process. This coating was capable of resisting more than 7 days in contact with the aggressive electrolyte suffering minor corrosion degradation. A corrosion mechanism for each of the tested specimens has been proposed.