Research on the corrosion properties of the bioresorbable magnesium alloy MA14 subjected to ECAP-Conform

Abstract

The current task in the field of medical materials science is the creation of materials suitable for the fabrication of bioresorbable implants. The prospect of such applications is justified by the high biocompatibility of magnesium with living tissues and physiological environments, as well as its ability to gradually dissolve during the bone fusion process, releasing non-toxic corrosion products. However, magnesium and its alloys are characterized by low mechanical and corrosion properties, limiting their widespread use as implant materials. One possible way to overcome this problem is through thermomechanical processing using the principles of severe plastic deformation. The crucial factor in implementing this approach is the processing technology. In this study, the influence of technological parameters of the Equal Channel Angular Pressing by Conform scheme (ECAP-Conform) on the corrosion properties of magnesium alloy MA14 was analyzed. During the research, experiments were conducted on the ECAP-Conform setup with variations in the number of cycles and processing temperature. The results of gravimetric corrosion tests showed that 4 cycles of ECAP-Conform (mode 2) with a stepwise reduction in the deformation processing temperature from 400 to 250 °C contribute to the formation of the most corrosion-resistant (among the tested modes) structural state with an average grain size of 9±2 μm in a physiological Ringer's solution environment.