The electrolytic MgO coating on Mg alloy has been carried out in 0.1 M Mg(NO3)(2)center dot 6H(2)O aqueous solution to improve its corrosion resistance. The as-coating was Mg(OH)(2) which was formed by the electrolysis, Mg2+ + 2OH(-) -> Mg(OH)(2), and finally transformed into MgO at 350 degrees C. The surface morphology and phase structure were analyzed using scanning electron microscope and grazing angle X-ray diffraction. Polarization curves and immersion tests were used to evaluate the corrosion resistance of the coated specimens. More OH-ions were produced, and the migration of Mg2+ was enhanced at a more negative applied potential, leading to a higher nucleation rate of Mg(OH)(2) on the specimen and resulting in the (001) preferred orientation. The weight gain resulted from coatings increased with increasing deposition time for the initial 40 min, and the increasing rate slowed down after 1 h due to the precipitation of Mg(OH)(2) in the solution. A coating deposited at -1.8 V (Ag/AgCl) for 40 min and annealed at 400 degrees C for 1 h was suggested to provide a more uniform and dense MgO protective coating, which results in a reduction of corrosion current density from 99.5 down to 0.2 mu A/cm(2) and the enlarged passivation region between -1.52 and -1.25 V (Ag/AgCl) in 3.5 wt % NaCl aqueous solution, with respect to the uncoated specimen. Compared with AZ91D magnesium alloy substrate, the corrosion resistance was improved nearly 2 orders by the electrolytic MgO ceramic coating. However, the bonding strength, 10 MPa, should be further improved to satisfy the minimum requirement, 35 MPa, for the orthopedic implants. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3519836] All rights reserved.