Development of Biocompatible Bulk MgZnCa Metallic Glass with Very High Corrosion Resistance in Simulated Body Fluid

Magnesium-zinc-calcium (Mg-Zn-Ca) alloys as a biomaterial have attracted much attention recently, owing to their excellent biocompatibility, similar mechanical properties to natural bone, and biodegradable properties. Despite the numerous advantages of MgZnCa alloys, the rapid degradation of magnesium proved challenging as the implant in unable to retain its structural integrity for a sufficient duration of time. For metallic glasses, the capability to produce a bulk sample that is sufficiently large for useful applications have been far less successful owing to challenging processing parameters that are required for rapid cooling. In this study, Mg65Zn30Ca5 melt-spun ribbons were produced using melt-spinning followed by spark plasma sintering under high pressure (60 MPa) at different temperatures (130-170 degrees C) to provide an insight into the consolidation, mechanical, and corrosion behavior. Microstructural interfaces were characterized using scanning electron microscopy while the thermal stability of the amorphous phase was characterized using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. Here, pellets with 10 mm diameter and 10 mm height with a complete amorphous structure were achieved at a sintering temperature of 150 degrees C with densification as high at similar to 98%. Sintering at higher temperatures, while achieving higher densification, resulted in the presence of nano-crystallites. The mechanical properties were characterized using microhardness and compression tests. The hardness values of the sintered products were relatively higher to those containing crystallite phases while the ultimate compressive strength increased with increasing sintering temperature. Bio-corrosion properties were characterized via electrochemical testing with PBS as the electrolyte at 37 degrees C. The corrosion results suggest that the sintered samples have a significantly improved corrosion resistance as compared to as-cast samples. More notably, SPS150 (samples sintered at 150 degrees C) exhibited the best corrosion resistance (35x compared to as-cast in the context of corrosion current density), owing to its single-phase amorphous nature. This study clearly shows the potential of spark plasma sintering in consolidating amorphous ribbons to near-full density bulk pellets with high corrosion resistance for bio-applications.

Automated summary

This study investigates the spark plasma sintering process and properties of magnesium-zinc-calcium alloys. The results show that dense amorphous structures with high mechanical and corrosion resistance properties can be achieved using appropriate sintering conditions. This study demonstrates the potential of spark plasma sintering in producing high-performance alloy materials for biomedical applications.