Enhanced electrochemical and bioactivity performance of porous magnesium oxide@magnesium composites with transparent hydrogenated C36 dimer fatty acid

Structural microdefects on inorganic layers grown via soft plasma discharge can aggravate corrosion in numerous settings. Therefore, advanced surface treatments is required emergently to develop superior corrosion-resistant coating while it still remains challenging to incorporate dual functions such as anticorrosion and antibacterial attributes simultaneously for versatile applications. To this end, this study presents a rapid approach to treat structural pores and cracks with diverse dimensions and sizes in inorganic layers through the self-assembly of hydrogenated C36 dimer fatty acid (DFA; C₃₆H₆₈O₄) on defect sites. Microstructural analysis and first-principles calculations revealed that physical and chemical interactions between DFA and the inorganic layer significantly improved the performance and accuracy of the defect treatment. The resulting DFA–inorganic hybrid material demonstrated superior corrosion resistance and antibacterial activity due to the hydroxyl group's electron-donating properties, which considerably enhanced the adsorption of the transparent hydrogenated DFA layer onto the inorganic layer. Additionally, the anticorrosive performance was driven by chemical adsorption through three Mg–O bonds. © 2024 Chongqing University