Magnesium alloys are very biocompatiable and show promise for use in orthopaedic implant. Significant progress of research on bioabsorbable magnesium stents and orthopaedic bones has been achieved in recent years. The issues on degradation, hydrogen evolution, and corrosion fatigue and erosion corrosion of magnesium alloys and various influencing factors in simulated body fluid (SBF) are discussed. The research progress on magnesium and its alloys as biomaterials and miscellaneous approaches to enhancement in corrosion resistance is reviewed. Finally the challenges and strategy for their application as orthopaedic biomaterials are also proposed.

Progress and Challenge for Magnesium Alloys as Biomaterials

Fundamentals of Materials Science

Metal ion release from metal implants

Calcium phosphate naturally formed on titanium in electrolyte solution

Mg and Mg alloys: how comparable are in vitro and in vivo corrosion rates? A review.

The corrosion of the pure metals aluminium, cobalt, copper, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, and titanium and of a cobalt-chromium molybdenum casting alloy has been studied in buffered saline with and without the presence of the proteins serum albumin and fibrinogen. The corrosion of aluminium and titanium was unaffected by the protein. The corrosion rates of chromium and nickel showed a slight increase, while cobalt and copper dissolved to a very much greater extent in the presence of protein. However, with molybdenum the corrosion was inhibited by protein.

G. C. F. Clark

Papers

The effects of proteins on metallic corrosion.