Various coating approaches have been studied to achieve a better, controllable degradation of the Mg alloy WE43. For its use as a biomedical, biodegradable implant it is also necessary to diminish initial hydrogen evolution. Therefore it is beneficial to coat samples before using them in vivo.

Thus, in the current study, on top of a primary coating, an additional chitosan-bioglass layer was applied by electrophoretic deposition. Corrosion of the alloy and the coatings under physiological conditions was investigated by immersion tests under a controlled atmosphere in DMEM.

The methods used in this study include cross-sectional characterization (SEM) of the coated and corroded samples, EDX, XPS, and electrochemical measurements. Mass loss measurements were carried out to study the progress of corrosion under different immersion conditions. The information gathered by a combination of the aforementioned methods leads to a better understanding on the corrosion rate and mode as well as on the type of corrosion products forming under different conditions. In addition, the influence of corrosion and the formed corrosion products on the further performance, e.g. biocompatibility, are being considered.