The Suitability of Zn–1.3%Fe Alloy as a Biodegradable Implant Material (2024)

The Effect of Ca on In Vitro Behavior of Biodegradable Zn-Fe Alloy in Simulated Physiological Environments

Metals

The growing interest in Zn based alloys as structural materials for biodegradable implants is mainly attributed to the excellent biocompatibility of Zn and its important role in many physiological reactions. In addition, Zn based implants do not tend to produce hydrogen gas in in vivo conditions and hence do not promote the danger of gas embolism. However, Zn based implants can provoke encapsulation processes that, practically, may isolate the implant from its surrounding media, which limits its capability of performing as an acceptable biodegradable material. To overcome this problem, previous research carried out by the authors has paved the way for the development of Zn-Fe based alloys that have a relatively increased corrosion rate compared to pure Zn. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of 0.3–1.6% Ca on the in vitro behavior of Zn-Fe alloys and thus to further address the encapsulation problem. The in vitro assessment included immersion tests and electrochemical anal...

Stress Corrosion Analysis and Direct Cell Viability of Biodegradable Zn-Fe-Ca Alloy in In-Vitro Conditions

Metals

Due to the excellent biocompatibility of Zn and Zn-based alloys, researchers have shown great interest in developing biodegradable implants based on zinc. Furthermore, zinc is an essential component of many enzymes and proteins. The human body requires ~15 mg of Zn per day, and there is minimal concern for systemic toxicity from a small zinc-based cardiovascular implant, such as an arterial stent. However, biodegradable Zn-based implants have been shown to provoke local fibrous encapsulation reactions that may isolate the implant from its surrounding environment and interfere with implant function. The development of biodegradable implants made from Zn-Fe-Ca alloy was designed to overcome the problem of fibrous encapsulation. In a previous study made by the authors, the Zn-Fe-Ca system demonstrated a suitable corrosion rate that was higher than that of pure Zn and Zn-Fe alloy. The Zn-Fe-Ca system also showed adequate mechanical properties and a unique microstructure that contained a...

Evaluation of biodegradable Zn-1%Mg and Zn-1%Mg-0.5%Ca alloys for biomedical applications

Journal of materials science. Materials in medicine, 2017

Increasing interest in biodegradable metals (Mg, Fe, and Zn) as structural materials for orthopedic and cardiovascular applications mainly relates to their promising biocompatibility, mechanical properties and ability to self-remove. However, Mg alloys suffer from excessive corrosion rates associated with premature loss of mechanical integrity and gas embolism risks. Fe based alloys produce voluminous corrosion products that have a detrimental effect on neighboring cells and extracellular matrix. In contrast, Zn does not appear to exhibit a harmful mode of corrosion. Unfortunately, pure zinc possesses insufficient mechanical strength for biomedical structural applications. The present study aimed at examining the potential of two new zinc based alloys, Zn-1%Mg and Zn-1%Mg-0.5%Ca to serve as structural materials for biodegradable implants. This examination was carried out under in vitro conditions, including immersion testing, potentiodynamic polarization analysis, electrochemical im...

Preliminary Results on the Corrosion Behaviour of a New Biodegradable Metallic Material Based on Zinc

IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2018

Zinc alloys as prospective materials for biodegradable medical devices

2020

Jiří Kubásek1, Drahomír Dvorský1, Jaroslav Čapek2, Straková Markéta1, Hosová Klára1, Dalibor Vojtěch1 1University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Department of Metals and Corrosion Engineering, Technická 5 166 28 Praha 6 – Dejvice, Czech Republic., E-mail: kubasekj@vscht.cz 2FZU – The Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 1999/2, Prague 8, 182 21, The Czech Republic

A Comprehensive Review of the Current Research Status of Biodegradable Zinc Alloys and Composites for Biomedical Applications

Materials

Zinc (Zn)-based biodegradable materials show moderate degradation rates in comparison with other biodegradable materials (Fe and Mg). Biocompatibility and non-toxicity also make them a viable option for implant applications. Furthermore, Pure Zn has poor mechanical behavior, with a tensile strength of around 100–150 MPa and an elongation of 0.3–2%, which is far from reaching the strength required as an orthopedic implant material (tensile strength is more than 300 MPa, elongation more than 15%). Alloy and composite fabrication have proven to be excellent ways to improve the mechanical performance of Zn. Therefore, their alloys and composites have emerged as an innovative category of biodegradable materials. This paper summarizes the most important recent research results on the mechanical and biological characteristics of biodegradable Zn-based implants for orthopedic applications and the most commonly added components in Zn alloys and composites.

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

Bioactive Materials, 2021

In Vitro Corrosion Behavior of Zn3Mg0.7Y Biodegradable Alloy in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF)

Applied Sciences

Biodegradable metallic materials represent a new class of biocompatible materials for medical applications based on numerous advantages. Among them, those based on zinc have a rate of degradation close to the healing period required by many clinical problems, which makes them more suitable than those based on magnesium or iron. The poor mechanical properties of Zn could be significantly improved by the addition of Mg and Y. In this research, we analyze the electro-chemical and mechanical behavior of a new alloy based on Zn3Mg0.7Y compared with pure Zn and Zn3Mg materials. Microstructure and chemical composition were investigated by electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The electrochemical corrosion was analyzed by linear polarization (LP), cyclic polarization (CP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). For hardness and scratch resistance, a microhardness tester and a scratch module were used. Findings revealed that the mechanical properties of Zn improve...

Recent Developments in Zn-Based Biodegradable Materials for Biomedical Applications

Journal of Functional Biomaterials

Zn-based biodegradable alloys or composites have the potential to be developed to next-generation orthopedic implants as alternatives to conventional implants to avoid revision surgeries and to reduce biocompatibility issues. This review summarizes the current research status on Zn-based biodegradable materials. The biological function of Zn, design criteria for orthopedic implants, and corrosion behavior of biodegradable materials are briefly discussed. The performance of many novel zinc-based biodegradable materials is evaluated in terms of biodegradation, biocompatibility, and mechanical properties. Zn-based materials perform a significant role in bone metabolism and the growth of new cells and show medium degradation without the release of excessive hydrogen. The addition of alloying elements such as Mg, Zr, Mn, Ca, and Li into pure Zn enhances the mechanical properties of Zn alloys. Grain refinement by the application of post-processing techniques is effective for the developme...

In Vitro Degradation of Absorbable Zinc Alloys in Artificial Urine

Materials, 2019

Absorbable metals have potential for making in-demand rigid temporary stents for the treatment of urinary tract obstruction, where polymers have reached their limits. In this work, in vitro degradation behavior of absorbable zinc alloys in artificial urine was studied using electrochemical methods and advanced surface characterization techniques with a comparison to a magnesium alloy. The results showed that pure zinc and its alloys (Zn–0.5Mg, Zn–1Mg, Zn–0.5Al) exhibited slower corrosion than pure magnesium and an Mg–2Zn–1Mn alloy. The corrosion layer was composed mostly of hydroxide, carbonate, and phosphate, without calcium content for the zinc group. Among all tested metals, the Zn–0.5Al alloy exhibited a uniform corrosion layer with low affinity with the ions in artificial urine.