et al., 2016) metal that has potential implant applications such as bone fracture fixation devices. Being an essential nutrient for human body, zinc is required for many different biological functions such as wound healing (Andrews & Gallagher-Allred, 1999), cell proliferation and DNA stabilization (MacDonald, 2000; Wu & Wu, 1987). Furthermore, zinc possesses anti-inflammatory effects and is haemocompatible and used by the human body as a hormone mediator (Beyersmann & Haase, 2001; Tapiero & Tew, 2003). Although the daily recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for zinc is limited to 8-11 mg/day, zinc overdose (10 times the RDA) has shown no adverse effects in humans (Samman & Roberts, 1987). In fact, a study has shown that high concentrations of zinc prevent conditions like osteoporosis (Luo et al., 2014). The physical and mechanical properties of metallic zinc (density = 7.14 g/cm 3 ; young's modulus = 70 GPa, and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) = 126-246 MPa; Porter, 1991) are similar to those of other metallic implant materials. For orthopaedic temporary implants for bone fracture fixation (e.g. bone plates), the implant material should possess excellent load-bearing capacity during service.