PRECIPITATION CONTROL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTY OF CALCIUM PHOSPHATE–COATED AZ31B ALLOY FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATION

Abstract

Surface modification is believed to be an effective way to control the biodegradation rate of magnesium alloys and improve their biological properties. In the present work, a calcium phosphate (Ca-P) coating was prepared on the AZ31B magnesium alloy by a chemical deposition method to integrate the mechanical advantages of the magnesium substrate and the good bioactivity of the ceramic coating. It was shown that the coating was mainly composed of magnesium and calcium phosphates. Scanning electron microscope coupled with the energy dispersive spectrum analyses showed that rough and crystallined Ca-P coatings with different Ca/P ratios and thickness were formed on the alloy by variation of deposition time. The corrosion resistance of AZ31B alloy was significantly improved by the Ca-P coating. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy test was used to illustrate the reaction process of Ca-P coating on the alloy. Upon the above results, Ca-P formation mechanism on the AZ31B alloy was proposed. The heterogeneous nucleation and growth of the calcium phosphate coating may be catalyzed by the anodic dissolution of the magnesium alloy substrate in the early stage of deposition, and the deposition coating is mainly composed of the magnesium phosphate. Then calcium phosphate deposition on the alloy becomes dominant with the increase of time. Tensile test in simulated body environment results showed that the time of fracture and ultimate tensile strength for the coated AZ31B Mg alloy were higher than those of the uncoated, which is beneficial in supporting fractured bone for a longer time.