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Published March 21, 2025 | Version v1
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Preprint "Towards increased strength and acceptable ductility of Zn-Mg-(Ag) materials for medical devices by adopting powder metallurgy processing routes"

Authors/Creators

  • 1. University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Department of Metals and Corrosion Engineering, Technická 5, 166 28, Praha 6 – Dejvice, Czech Republic
  • 2. Department of Microstructure Physics and Alloy Design, Max-Planck-Institut für Nachhaltige Materialien GmbH, Max-Planck-Straße 1, 40237 Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 3. Department of Materials, Imperial College London, Royal School of Mines, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK
  • 4. University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Technická 5, 166 28, Praha 6 – Dejvice, Czech Republic
  • 5. Institute of Metals and Technology, Lepi pot 11, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • 6. Institute of Materials (MTF), Faculty of Materials Science and Technology in Trnava, Ulica Jána Bottu 2781/25, 91724 Trnava, The Slovak Republic
  • 7. Institute of Materials and Machine Mechanics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9/6319, 845 13 Bratislava, The Slovak Republic
  • 8. FZU – Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 1999/2, Prague 8, 18200, Czech Republic

Description

General description:

The preprint for a publication being submitted for a review.

 

Abstract:

The development of bioabsorbable zinc-based alloys with tailored mechanical properties and biocompatibility holds great promise for advancing medical implant technology. In this study, Zn-Mg and Zn-Mg-Ag alloys were synthesized using mechanical alloying (MA) followed by extrusion to achieve a combination of enhanced strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance. MA for 4 hours produced ultrafine-grained powders incorporating Mg₂Zn₁₁ intermetallic phases and oxide particles, which contributed to microstructure stabilization during subsequent processing. Extrusion consolidated these powders into dense materials with a uniform grain size of ~700 nm, exhibiting ultimate tensile strengths up to 435 MPa and elongation to fracture of ~12%, representing a significant improvement over conventional processing methods. The addition of silver further enhanced the antibacterial properties, demonstrating notable efficacy against Staphylococcus epidermidis, while maintaining non-cytotoxic behavior in vitro. Corrosion rates remained low, with uniform surface degradation and the formation of protective corrosion layers. This work highlights the efficacy of combining powder metallurgy techniques to bioabsorbable zinc-based alloys with exceptional mechanical performance, corrosion behavior, and biocompatibility, providing a pathway for next-generation biodegradable medical devices.

 

Versions:

V1 - an original version that has been submitted.

Files

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Additional details

Related works

Is obsoleted by
Publication: 10.1016/j.jmrt.2025.06.185 (DOI)
Is supplement to
Dataset: 10.5281/zenodo.15056574 (DOI)

Funding

European Union
Operational Programme Johanes Amos Comenius, call Excellent Research, co-funded by the European Union, administered by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth CZ.02.01. 01/00/22_008/0004634
The Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
Development of advanced bioabsorbable Zn-based materials by powder metallurgy techniques N2-0182
The Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
Physics and Chemistry of Metals P2 0132