Magnesium has attracted a lot of attention as a new class of biodegradable material. The surface properties of magnesium in simulated body fluid (SBF) were investigated in the current research work. Cast magnesium samples with different surface characteristics were prepared which were then placed in SBF for 2, 4 and 8 days. This led to the formation of hydroxylapatite coating on their surfaces. The solution was changed at regular intervals to maintain a pH of 7.6. Other Mg samples were anodized at 40 V and 60 V to create a uniform layer of oxide on them and then their activity in SBF was compared with the casted samples of Mg. It was found that corrosion rate varies as the immersion time increases. Magnesium undergoes localized corrosion with pits and cracks forming on the surface of the samples. This was due to the aggressive corrosive nature of SBF.
Keywords: Magnesium; Mg(OH)2; anodization; hydroxyapatite (HA); simulated body fluid (SBF).