The effect of ion implantation dose on the friction and corrosion performance of titanium-coated magnesium alloy

To enhance the performance of titanium plated coating on the surface of magnesium alloy AZ31, this study investigates the influence of N ion implantation dose on the structure, mechanical properties, and friction corrosion behavior of Ti film. The results reveal that N ion implantation leads to the formation of a new physical phase TiN and induces surface softening. However, with an increase in N ion implantation dose, microhardness of the Ti film increases due to the formation of TiN which enhances its hardness. Friction and wear experiments demonstrate that at maximum implantation dose, the coating exhibits minimal friction coefficient; however, an implantation dose of 5 × 10¹⁵ ion cm⁻² offers superior wear resistance. The electrochemical test results indicate the corrosion current density and self-corrosion potential of Ti coating decrease with the increase of implantation dose due to the formation of nitride and the presence of N element, and corrosion resistance of the modified coating has been significantly enhanced. The research results provide reference for improving the protection performance of Ti coating on magnesium alloy surface.