MnO2 catalysis of oxygen reduction to accelerate the degradation of Fe-C composites for biomedical applications

MnO2 catalysis of oxygen reduction was proposed to accelerate the degradation of Fe-C biocomposite. As an electron mediator, MnO2 was susceptible to obtaining electrons from anodic Fe by forming MnOOH, which then transferred the electrons to oxygen by reforming MnO2. This accelerated the oxygen reduction, thereby speeding up the anodic Fe dissolution. Consequently, Fe-C-MnO2 biocomposite displayed a high corrosion rate of 0.26 mm.y(-1). Additionally, the biocomposite showed high hardness with wear resistance and stable mechanical properties during degradation. Moreover, it possessed good cytocompatibility due to acceptable ion release. These findings demonstrated the potential bone implant applications of Fe-C-MnO2 biocomposite.