Smart composite antibacterial coatings with active corrosion protection of magnesium alloys

• Multifunctional PEO-coatings with active corrosion protection is formed on Mg alloy. • PEO-coating is modified with corrosion inhibitor – 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ). • The polymer treatment of the PEO-layer does not reduce the inhibitor's efficiency. • The mechanism of corrosion degradation of smart composite coating is established. • The antibacterial activity of the coatings against S. aureus strain is proved. A new method of the formation of composite coatings with the function of active corrosion protection of magnesium alloys was developed using the plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) method. Susceptibility of PEO-layers to pitting formation was evaluated using localized electrochemical methods (SVET/SIET). The morphological features and electrochemical properties of composite coatings were studied using SEM/EDX, XRD, micro-Raman spectroscopy and EIS/PDP measurements, respectively. The effect of surface layers impregnation with corrosion inhibitor on their protective properties in a corrosive environment was established. Additional protection was achieved using controllable coating pore sealing with polymer. It was found that the polymer treatment of the PEO-layer does not reduce the inhibitor's efficiency. The formed protective composite inhibitor-and-polymer-containing layers decrease the corrosion current density of a magnesium alloy in a 3 wt.% NaCl solution to three orders of magnitude. This predetermines the prospect of new smart coatings formation that significantly expand the field of application of electrochemically active materials. The mechanism of smart composite coating corrosion degradation was established. The antibacterial activity of the inhibitor-containing coatings against S. aureus methicillin-resistant strain was proved using the in vitro model. These protective layers are promising for reducing the incidence of implant-associated infections.