Effect of Wire-EDM textures on corrosion performance of Bio-Degradable Mg alloy

Abstract

Magnesium (Mg) is the most suitable material for biodegradable implant applications owing to its nontoxic behaviour and comparable Young's modulus to human bone. However, poor corrosion resistance limits its application. Therefore, surface texturing can be a more suitable and cost-effective technique to mitigate these issues. Hence, wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) is used to create various textures (wavy texture, microchannels, and micro-pillars) and investigate their influence on the corrosion resistance of Mg-Zn-Ca alloy. The results revealed that micropillar texture exhibited significantly lower surface roughness (R<inf>a</inf> = 1.049 µm) and a higher contact angle indicative of hydrophobicity (130.3°), resulting in superior corrosion resistance (corrosion rate: 0.816 mm/year) compared to other textures and standard WEDM surfaces. These findings suggested that textured surfaces generated through WEDM hold the potential for enhancing the corrosion resistance of biodegradable Mg implants. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.