Bioactive glass–ceramic coating for enhancing the in vitro corrosion resistance of biodegradable Mg alloy

► Sol–gel derived 45S5 glass–ceramic coating was prepared on Mg alloy substrate. ► The corrosion resistance of glass–ceramic coated Mg alloy was markedly improved. ► The corrosion behavior of the coated sample varied due to the cracking of coating. In this work, a bioactive 45S5 glass–ceramic coating was synthesized on magnesium (Mg) alloy substrate by using a sol–gel dip-coating method, to improve the initial corrosion resistance of AZ31 Mg alloy. The surface morphology and phase composition of the glass–ceramic coating were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The coating composed of amorphous phase and crystalline phase Na2Ca2Si3O9, with the thickness of ∼1.0μm, exhibited a uniform and crack-free surface morphology. The corrosion behavior of the uncoated and coated Mg alloy substrates was investigated by the electrochemical measurements and immersion tests in simulated body fluid (SBF). Potentiodynamic polarization tests recorded an increase of potential (Ecorr) form −1.60V to −1.48V, and a reduction of corrosion current density (icorr) from 4.48μAcm−2 to 0.16μAcm−2, due to the protection provided by the glass–ceramic coating. Immersion tests also showed the markedly improved corrosion resistance of the coated sample over the immersion period of 7 days. Moreover, after 14 days of immersion in SBF, the corrosion resistance of the coated sample declined due to the cracking of the glass–ceramic coating, which was confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis. The results suggested that the 45S5 glass–ceramic coated Mg alloy could provide a suitable corrosion behavior for use as degradable implants.