A bimodal grain structured Zn-0.5Ag-0.2Mg alloy with high strength and ductility achieved through combined ECAP and cold rolling

Zn-Ag alloys are particularly promising for application as biodegradable implant materials due to their harmless degradation products, suitable degradation rate, and remarkable biocompatibility. Nonetheless, their mechanical properties are generally below the requirements for medical implants. In this work, a bimodal grain structured Zn-0.5Ag -0.2Mg alloy with excellent strength and ductility was achieved through combined equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and cold rolling (CR), significantly superior to their counterparts obtained through ECAP or CR. Specifically, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation (EL) of the alloy are as high as 332 MPa and 63%, respectively, far exceeding the application requirements. In achieving the excellent mechanical properties, a key role is played by hetero-deformation induced (HDI) strengthening. This work may provide practical guidance for developing high-performance Zn alloys. & COPY; 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC

Automated summary

Zn-Ag alloys have great potential for use as biodegradable implant materials due to their harmless degradation products, suitable degradation rate, and excellent biocompatibility. However, their mechanical properties often do not meet the requirements for medical implants. This study achieved a bimodal grain structured Zn-0.5Ag-0.2Mg alloy with high strength and ductility through a combination of equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and cold rolling (CR), surpassing the properties of alloys obtained through ECAP or CR alone. Hetero-deformation induced (HDI) strengthening plays a key role in obtaining the excellent mechanical properties. This work provides practical guidance for the development of high-performance Zn alloys.