The chemical nanotechnology is offering a chance to apply stable inorganic coatings onto magnesium alloys. The cast alloy AZ91 as well as the wrought alloy AZ31 could be dip-coated with aqueous dispersions based on commercially available silica particles and various additives. The high surface activity of the nanoparticles and appropriate additives, e.g. boron. aluminium or alkali salts, help to densify these coatings under moderate conditions even suitable for those thermally precarious magnesium alloys. Another coating technique is based on the electrophoretic deposition of nanoparticles already containing all sintering aids. These particles could be synthesised by a base-catalysed sol-gel process. Polydiethoxysiloxane can act as an adhesion promoter for these coatings. Additionally concentration gradients of different oxides within these particles can adjust the coating properties, too. Usually single coatings are very thin (200-500 nm). However, multiple coating applications as well as a process involving special particle mixtures lead to coatings with a thickness of up to several micrometers. Even after thermal treatment at 200 or 400 degrees C these coatings stay crack-free. The composition and texture of these coatings were studied using IR, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and other techniques. Electrochemical impedance measurements show an improvement of the corrosion performance by these coatings. The coating resistance is improving with the coating thickness. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.