Insights into the influence of oxide inclusions on corrosion performance of additive manufactured magnesium alloys

Abstract

Abstract The corrosion performance of binder jet additive samples is compared with cast samples through potentiodynamic polarization in Na2SO4 solution. Higher zinc levels in the magnesium matrix and the presence of MgO within the microstructure of the binder jet printed alloy contribute to increases in the anodic and cathodic kinetics, respectively. It is proposed that electron inhomogeneity at the Mg/MgO interface in the binder jet printed alloy is the source of the catalytic activity of the hydrogen evolution reaction. The removal of MgO inclusions suppressed the cathodic reaction relative to the large increase in kinetics seen in similarly treated cast samples.