Pure zinc exhibits low mechanical properties, making
it unsuitable
for use in guided bone regeneration (GBR) membranes. The present study
focused on the preparation of Zn alloy GBR films using powder metallurgy,
resulting in Zn-0.5Ti-0.5Fe and Zn-0.5Ti-0.5Mg alloy GBR films. The
tensile strength of the pure Zn GBR film measured 85.9 MPa, while
an elongation at break was 13.5%. In contrast, Zn-0.5Ti-0.5Fe and
Zn-0.5Ti-0.5Mg alloy GBR films demonstrated significantly higher tensile
strengths of 145.3 and 164.4 MPa, respectively, whereas elongations
at break were 30.2% and 19.3%. The addition of Ti, Fe, and Mg substantially
enhanced the mechanical properties of the zinc alloys. Corrosion analysis
revealed that Zn-0.5Ti-0.5Fe and Zn-0.5Ti-0.5Mg alloy GBR membranes
exhibited corrosion potentials of −1.298 and −1.316
V, respectively, with corresponding corrosion current densities of
12.11 and 13.32 μA/cm2. These values were translated
to corrosion rates of 0.181 and 0.199 mm/year, indicating faster corrosion
rates compared to pure Zn GBR membranes, which displayed a corrosion
rate of 0.108 mm/year. Notably, both Zn-based alloy GBR membranes
demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility, with a cytotoxicity rating
of 0–1 in 25% leachate. Additionally, these membranes exhibited
favorable osteogenic ability, as evidenced by the quantitative bone
volume/tissue volume ratios (BV/TV) of new bone formation, which reached
30.3 ± 1.4% and 65.5 ± 1.8% for the Zn-0.5Ti-0.5Fe and Zn-0.5Ti-0.5Mg
alloy GBR membranes, respectively, after 12 weeks of implantation.
These results highlighted the significant potential for facilitating
new bone growth. The proposed Zn-0.5Ti-0.5Fe and Zn-0.5Ti-0.5Mg alloy
GBR membranes showed promise as viable biodegradable materials for
future clinical studies.