Preparation of medical Mg–Zn alloys and the effect of different zinc contents on the alloy

Abstract

In recent years, along with the development and application of magnesium alloys, magnesium alloys have been widely used in automotive, aerospace, medicine, sports, and other fields. In the field of medical materials, magnesium not only has the advantage of light weight, high strength, and a density similar to that of human bone, but also has good biocompatibility and promotes the growth of human bone. However, the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys need to be further improved to meet the requirements for human biodegradable implants. In this study, three alloys (mass fractions: Mg–10Zn, Mg–20Zn, and Mg–30Zn (wt.%)) were prepared using powder metallurgy by homogeneously mixing powders of the above materials in a certain amount with magnesium as the substrate through the addition of zinc elements, which also have good biocompatibility. The effect of zinc on the microstructure, mechanical properties, wear performance, and corrosion resistance of magnesium–zinc alloys was studied when the zinc content was different. The results show that compared with the traditional magnesium alloy using powder metallurgy, prepared magnesium alloy has good resistance to compression and bending, its maximum compressive stress can reach up to 318.96 MPa, the maximum bending strength reached 189.41 MPa, and can meet the mechanical properties of the alloy as a human bone-plate requirements. On the polarization curve, the maximum positive shift of corrosion potential of the specimens was 73 mv and the maximum decrease of corrosion-current density was 53.2%. From the comparison of the above properties, it was concluded that the three prepared alloys of which Mg–20% Zn had the best overall performance. Its maximum compressive stress, maximum bending strength, and corrosion-current density reached 318.96 MPa, 189.41 MPa and 2.08 × 10−5 A·cm−2 respectively, which are more suitable for use as human implant bone splints in human-body fluid environment.

Exploration of microstructural characteristics, mechanical properties, and in vitro biocompatibility of biodegradable porous magnesium scaffolds for orthopaedic implants

“…The density of all three studied samples ranges between 1.26 and 1.48 g cm −3 , which values closer to human bone density (1.8-2.2 g cm −3 ), and their surface roughness values are less than 0.5 µm, showing a positive response as an implant material. The addition of Zn greatly helps in reducing surface roughness and improving the smoothness and flatness of the metal surface [10]. The suitable surface topography in terms of surface roughness fulfils the demand for adequate osseointegration and influences cell generation [11].…”

“…Many successful experiments have been performed based on it, such as screws, nails, splints, etc [2,[7][8][9]. Mg is widely used as biodegradable implants, and they dissolve after a specific time [10] and are involved in more than 300 known enzymatic reactions and many other cellular functions [11]. In terms of elastic modulus, fracture toughness, compressive strength, and density, Mg is most similar to real bone [2].…”

Biodegradable Magnesium Biomaterials—Road to the Clinic

“…[115,116] Zn Improving corrosion resistance of Mg alloys mostly at a content below ~5 wt.%. [117][118][119] Mn Improving corrosion resistance by decreasing impurities with a small quantity (less than ~1 wt.%) of Mn addition.…”

Leaching kinetics of magnesium extraction from boron mud in ammonium bisulphate solutions

“…[6][7][8][9][10] Magnesium and its compounds are widely used in several applications, including automotive, aerospace, fertilizer, food, and medicine. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Thus, the utilization of BM for magnesium extraction has environmental and economic value.…”