Biodegradable behaviors of ultrafine-grained ZE41A magnesium alloy in DMEM solution

Abstract

The main limitation to the clinical application of magnesium alloys is their too-fast degradation rate in the physiological environment. Bio-corrosion behaviors of the ZE41A magnesium alloy processed by multi-pass equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) were investigated in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) solution, in order to tailor the effect of grain ultrafining on the biodegradation rate of the alloy implant. Hydrogen evolution tests indicated that a large number of ECAP passes decreased the stable corrosion rate of the alloy after the initial incubation period. Potentiodynamic polarization curves showed that more ECAP passes made the corrosion potential nobler and the corrosion tendency lower. Corroded surfaces of the ECAPed alloy indicated a higher resistance toward localized corrosion due to the homogeneous redistribution of broken second phases on the ultrafine-grained Mg matrix. It suggests that grain ultrafining can decrease the biodegradable rate of the magnesium alloy-containing rare-earth elements and tailor the lifetime of the biodegradable material.