Biodegradation, Antibacterial Performance, and Cytocompatibility of a Novel ZK30-Cu-Mn Biomedical Alloy Produced by Selective Laser Melting

Abstract

An antibacterial biomedical Mg alloy was designed to have a low biodegradation rate. ZK30-0.2Cu-xMn (x = 0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 wt.%) was produced by selective laser melting (SLM). Alloying with Mn had a significant influence on the grain size, hardness, and biodegradation rate. Increasing Mg content to 0.8 wt% decreased the biodegradation rate, attributed to the decreased grain size and the relatively protective manganese surface oxide layer. Higher Mn contents increased the biodegradation rate attributed to the presence of the Mn-rich particles. ZK30-0.2Cu-0.8Mn exhibited the lowest biodegradation rate, strong antibacterial performance and good cytocompatibility.

Additive manufacturing of magnesium and its alloys: process-formability-microstructure-performance relationship and underlying mechanism

“…Chemical composition of material is another key factor affecting grain size. Up to now, the effects of Al [43,79], Mn [93][94][95], Zn [44], Cu [92,96], Ce [97], Dy [98] on the grain size of additively manufactured magnesium alloys have been investigated. The results demonstrated that the addition of Al, Cu, Zn, Ce and Dy can significantly refine the grains, and the grain size decreases monotonically with the content increase of these elements.…”

Additively manufactured metallic biomaterials

“…Generally, alloying Mg with different elements or incorporating it with some polymers such as polylactide- co -glycolide (PLGA)/tricalcium phosphate (TCP) enhances strength and lowers the degradation rate [ 108 , 110 ]. Xie et al [ 111 ] suggested that alloying Mg with manganese (Mn) can decrease the biodegradation rate mostly due to the formation of a Mn oxide film on the surface (acting as a protective layer). Incorporating Mn into Mg alloys decreased the metal grain size that can be attributed to the enhanced number of nucleation sites.…”

Comparative Study on Biodegradation of Pure Iron Prepared by Microwave Sintering and Laser Melting

“…Laser melting cools remarkably fast upon solidification due to its rapid melting rate. This is because the material powders begin rapid in situ cooling in the melt pool [11,12]. Therefore, both microwave sintering and laser melting can easily produce fine grain sizes, and thus are expected to produce pure iron with an increased degradation rate.…”