Evaluation of the Influence of Eggshell (ES) Concentration on the Degradation Behavior of Mg–2.5Zn Biodegradable Alloy in Simulated Body Fluid

Abstract

Currently, permanent vascular stents are fabricated using titanium and stainless steel implants that are nondegradable and offer high stability, but they have certain disadvantages. For example, the prolonged exposition of aggressive ions in the physiological media and the existence of defects in the oxide film create conditions for corrosion to occur, thus triggering unwanted biological events and compromising the mechanical integrity of the implants. Moreover, when the implant does not need to be permanent, there is the need to submit the patient for a second surgery for implant removal. As a solution for nonpermanent implants, biodegradable magnesium alloys have been deemed a promising substitute, for example, for cardiovascular-related applications and the construction of orthopedic devices. A biodegradable magnesium alloy (Mg–2.5Zn) reinforced by zinc and eggshell was employed in this study as an environment-conscious magnesium (eco) composite (Mg–2.5Zn–xES). Disintegrated melt deposition (DMD) was used to fabricate the composite. Experimental studies were conducted to investigate the biodegradation performance of Mg–Zn alloys containing 3 and 7 wt % eggshell (ES) in simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37 °C. Different corrosion techniques were used to study the corrosion behavior of the Mg–2.5Zn–xES composites, including weight loss measurements, hydrogen evolution, potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to scrutinize the corroded surfaces’ morphology and composition. The outcomes indicated that Mg–2.5Zn–3ES possesses the lowest degradation activity.