Editorial: Latest Developments in the Field of Magnesium Alloys and Their Applications
Hajo Dieringa, David H. StJohn, María Teresa Pérez Prado, Karl Ulrich Kainer
Abstract
Magnesium-based alloys and composites as structural materials as well as functionalized magnesium materials have been experiencing a steady increase in interest in the demand for new applications as well as in the scientific community for many years. To give an expression and visibility for this high demand, the authors initiated this Research Topic to provide interested stakeholders with an overview of current developments in research in this sector. A total of 16 articles were published by 56 authors from 29 institutional affiliations in nine countries. 12 of these articles are original research, and two of each are mini-reviews and reviews. Of the original research articles, eight address wrought alloys, two cast materials, and two fundamentals of metallurgical principles of magnesium alloys. This certainly meets the current need for optimization of wrought Mg materials for sheet applications or extruded profiles. In the list of applications targeted by the authors, it is noticeable that biodegradable magnesium materials are now a major focus. This is partly due to the fact that this research field experienced an acceleration in interest a few years ago and partly due to the massive interest of the medical industry in new, cost-effective solutions in implant materials to enable transfer to, for example, surgical procedures. The two mini-reviews deal firstly with the suitability assessment of magnesium materials for new applications in drone design and secondly with the deformation properties of friction-stir-welded magnesium alloys. The two reviews target fundamental issues of alloy development in magnesium alloys, as well as the suitability of magnesium materials as hydrogen storage materials.