Characterization of Some Master Mg-X System (Ca, Mn, Zr, Y) Alloys Used in Medical Applications

Abstract

Ultralight magnesium alloys are wide used in the medical field, especially for biodegradable implants. Although they are wide used, magnesium has low corrosion resistance. To improve this resistance, different types of alloys based on magnesium and Ca, Mn, Zr and Y can be developed. The main goal of the present paper is to investigate the properties of some master alloy based on Mg-X system (Ca ,Mn, Zr, Y) used in the development of biodegradable based alloys of Mg. The surface morphology was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical microscopy. After the XRD analysis, there was observed that some specific compounds were formed of Mg2Ca, Mg0.97Mn0.025, MgZr, Mg2Y, Mg24Y5 having the main Mg phase formed in the hexagonal structure. There were also evaluated the master alloys micro-hardness values in the range of 58.41 HV (Pure Mg), 67.97 HV (Mg-3Mn), 85.12 HV (Mg-25Zr), 131.8 HV (Mg-15Ca) and 291.45 HV (Mg-30Y). The corrosion resistance was developed using electrochemical testing in specific medium and there is shown that the corrosion rate increased significantly for the master alloys investigated, rather than pure magnesium. As a final conclusion structural properties of these alloys recommend them for usage as medical implants.