Corrosion and corrosion control

Magnesium-based biodegradable metals (BMs) as bone implants have better mechanical properties than biodegradable polymers, yet their strength is roughly less than 350 MPa. In this work, binary Zn alloys with alloying elements Mg, Ca, Sr, Li, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Ag respectively, are screened systemically by in vitro and in vivo studies. Li exhibits the most effective strengthening role in Zn, followed by Mg. Alloying leads to accelerated degradation, but adequate mechanical integrity can be expected for Zn alloys when considering bone fracture healing. Adding elements Mg, Ca, Sr and Li into Zn can improve the cytocompatibility, osteogenesis, and osseointegration. Further optimization of the ternary Zn-Li alloy system results in Zn-0.8Li-0.4Mg alloy with the ultimate tensile strength 646.69 ± 12.79 MPa and Zn-0.8Li-0.8Mn alloy with elongation 103.27 ± 20%. In summary, biocompatible Zn-based BMs with strength close to pure Ti are promising candidates in orthopedics for load-bearing applications. Biodegradable implants are of great interest in orthopaedic applications but have been limited by low mechanical strength. Here, the authors examine systematically in detail the strengthening of biodegradable zinc by alloying with beneficial elements using mechanical, biodegradability and biocompatibility testing.

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Alloying design of biodegradable zinc as promising bone implants for load-bearing applications.

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Additively manufactured biodegradable porous iron

Recent research and progress of biodegradable zinc alloys and composites for biomedical applications: Biomechanical and biocorrosion perspectives.

Additive manufacturing of biodegradable metals: Current research status and future perspectives.

Until now there has been no fundamental theory applicable for biodegradable metals (BMs). First, this paper optimizes the definition of BMs given in 2014. Second, the dual criteria of biodegradability and biocompatibility are proposed for BMs, and all metallic elements in the periodic table with accessible data are screened on the basis of these criteria. Regarding biodegradability, electrode potential, reactivity series, galvanic series, Pilling–Bedworth ratio, and Pourbaix diagrams are all adopted as parameters to classify the degradable and nondegradable nature of a material, especially in a physiological environment. Considering the biocompatibility at different levels, cellular biocompatibility, tissue biocompatibility, and human/clinical related biocompatibility parameters are put forward to comprehensively evaluate the biosafety of BMs. Third, for the material design of BMs, mechanical properties, chemical properties, physical properties and biological properties should be considered and balanced to guarantee that the degradation behavior of BMs match well with a tissue regeneration/repair procedure as the function of time and spatial location. Besides the selected metallic elements, some nonmetallic elements are selected as suitable alloying elements for BMs. Finally, five classification/research directions for future BMs are proposed: biodegradable pure metals, crystalline alloys, bulk metallic glasses, high entropy alloys, and metal matrix composites.

Xie-Hui Chen

Papers

Fundamental Theory of Biodegradable Metals—Definition, Criteria, and Design

Challenges in the use of zinc and its alloys as biodegradable metals: Perspective from biomechanical compatibility