Anomaly of corrosion resistance of pure magnesium via soft plasma electrolysis at sub-zero temperature

Abstract The present study investigates how sub-zero temperature affects the formation of the oxide layer of pure magnesium and subsequently alters their corrosion performance. To this end, a series of plasma electrolysis is carried out in alkaline-silicate electrolyte with two different temperatures of −5 and 25 °C. In contrast to the popular findings that low temperatures during anodic oxidation promotes superior corrosion protection, the present results show that the corrosion resistance of the sample processed at sub-zero condition is inferior to that processed at room temperature. In order to discuss such anomaly of the corrosion resistance, microstructural factors, including morphologies, compactness, and composition of the oxide layer would be taken into account.