To solve the problem of rapid degradation for magnesium-based implants, surface modification especially coating
method is widely studied and showed the great potential for clinical application. However, as concerned to
the further application and medical translation for biodegradable magnesium alloys, there are still lack of data
and comparisons among different coatings on their degradation and biological properties. This work studied
three commonly used coatings on Mg-Sr alloy, including micro-arc oxidation coating, electrodeposition coating
and chemical conversion coating, and compared these coatings for requirements of favorable degradation and biological
performances, how each of these coating systems has performed. Finally the mechanism for the discrepancy
between these coatings is proposed. The results indicate that the micro-arc oxidation coating on Mg-Sr alloy
exhibited the best corrosion resistance and cell response among these coatings, and is proved to be more suitable
for the orthopedic application.