Study of the Morphology and Properties of Biocompatible Ca-P Coatings on Mg Alloy.

Magnesium alloys are considered as potential biomaterials for use in orthopedic implantology. The main barrier to the use of Mg alloys in medicine is their overly fast and irregular degradation in body fluids. The use of protective calcium phosphate coatings to increase the corrosion resistance of Mg alloy (AM50 alloy: 4 wt.% Al, 0.3 wt.% Mn, 0.2 wt.% Zn, rest Mg) was examined in this study. The scientific goal of the study was the assessment of the influence of calcium phosphate layer morphology on the corrosion process in Ringer's solution. Modification of the coating morphology was obtained by changing the chemical composition of the phosphatizing bath using NaOH (NaAM50 sample) or ZnSO4 (ZnAM50 sample). In practice, a more dense and uniform coating could be obtained by the immersion of AM50 alloy in a solution containing ZnSO4 (ZnAM50 sample). In this study, an adhesion test performed on the ZnAM50 sample indicated that the critical load was 1.35 N. XRD phase analysis confirmed that the obtained coatings included dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (CaHPO4*2H2O). The coatings prepared on the NaAM50 and ZnAM50 samples are effective barriers against the progress of corrosion deeper into the substrate. After 120 h immersion in Ringer's solution, the volume of the evolved hydrogen was 5.6 mL/cm2 for the NaAM50 and 3.4 mL/cm2 for the ZnAM50 sample.

Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of Mg-Based Alloys with Gd Addition.

Magnesium alloys with rare earth metals are very attractive materials for medical application because of satisfactory mechanical properties. Nevertheless, low corrosion resistance is an obstacle in the use of Mg alloys as resorbable orthopedic implants. The paper presents results of mechanical and corrosion properties of MgCa5-xZn1Gdx (x = 1, 2, and 3 wt. %) alloys. Based on the microscopic observations it was stated that the studied alloys show a dendritic microstructure with interdendritic solute rich regions. The phase analysis reveals an occurrence of α-Mg and Mg2Ca, Ca2Mg6Zn3 phases that are thermodynamic predictions, and stated Mg26Zn59Gd7 phases in MgCa5-xZn1Gdx (x = 1, 2, and 3 wt. %) alloys. The Mg26Zn59Gd7 phases are visible as lamellar precipitations along interdendritic regions. It was confirmed that an increase of Gd content from 1 to 3 wt. % improves ultimate tensile (Rm; from 74 to 89 MPa) and compressive strength (Rc; from 184 to 221 MPa). Moreover, the studied alloys are active in Ringer's solution. They are characterized by an increase of corrosion potential (Ecorr) of about 150 mV in comparison with values of open circuit potential (EOCP). The best electrochemical parameters (e.g., corrosion current density, icorr, polarization resistance, Rp, and Ecorr) were obtained for the MgCa3Zn1Gd2 alloy.