To improve the wear and corrosion resistance of AZ91D magnesium alloy, Zr-based coating made of
Zr powder was fabricated on AZ91D magnesium alloy by laser cladding. The microstructure of the coating was
characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM techniques. The wear resistance of the coating was evaluated under dry
sliding wear test condition at room temperature. The corrosion resistance of the coating was tested in simulated
body fluid. The results show that the coating mainly consists of Zr, zirconium oxides and Zr aluminides. The coating
exhibits excellent wear resistance due to the high microhardness of the coating. The main wear mechanism of the
coating and the AZ91D sample are different, the former is abrasive wear and the latter is adhesive wear. The coating
compared to AZ91D magnesium alloy exhibits good corrosion resistance because of the good corrosion resistance of
Zr, zirconium oxides and Zr aluminides in the coating.