Corrosion and wear performance of La2O3 doped plasma electrolytic oxidation coating on pure Mg

With the aim of improving the corrosion and wear resistance of pure magnesium, La2O3 nano-particles are added into the PEO electrolyte. The influence of the particles on coating formation, morphology and performance is investigated. Results indicate that the porosity and thickness decrease remarkably after the particle incorporation which influences the corrosion and wear resistance in return. The coating with 1 g particle addition shows lowest porosity and highest hardness value, resulting in superior corrosion and wear performance, which implies the feasibility of the proposed strategy in fabricating functionalized PEO coatings on Mg-based materials. •Addition of La2O3 particles significantly influences the morphology of PEO layer.•Addition of particles in the electrolyte impedes the climbing of working voltage.•Particles preferentially incorporate along and at the bottom of discharge channels.•1 g-La coating exhibits best property due to lowest porosity and highest hardness.