Trace elements substituted apatite coatings have received a lot of interest recently as they have many benefits. In this work, strontium and magnesium substituted DCPD (SM-DCPD) coatings were deposited on carbon/carbon (C/C) composites by pulsed electrodeposition method. The morphology, microstructure, corrosion resistance and in vitro bioactivity of the SM-DCPD coatings are analyzed. The results show that the SM-DCPD coatings exhibit a flake-like morphology with dense and uniform structure. The SM-DCPD coatings could induce the formation of apatite layers on their surface in simulated body fluid. The electrochemical test indicates that the SM-DCPD coatings can evidently decrease the corrosion rate of the CC composites in simulated body fluid. The SM-DCPD has potential application as the bioactive coatings. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.