Comparative study of the effect of Nd and Y content on the mechanical and biodegradable properties of Mg-Zn-Zr-xNd/Y (x=0.5, 1, 2) alloys

ABSTRACT

Rare earth-containing biodegradable magnesium alloys have attracted many researchers attention due to their good mechanical property and degradation resistance. In this paper, comparative study of the effect of Nd and Y content on the mechanical and biodegradable properties of Mg-2Zn-0.5Zr-xRE alloys was carried out. The results showed that there are mainly α-Mg, Mg₁₂Nd, T-phase ((MgZn)₉₂Nd₈) and MgZn₂ phase in Mg-2Zn-xNd-0.5Zr alloys. There were mainly α-Mg, I-phase, W-phase and MgZn₂ phase in Mg-2Zn-xY-0.5Zr alloys. Minor addition of Nd could both improve the elongation (> 20%) of the alloys and decrease the galvanic corrosion between the matrix and the second phases. However, the addition of Y (1%) was beneficial in improving the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the Mg alloys. Minor addition of Y (0.5%) could also improve the degradation resistance of the alloys. The alloys with 0.5% Nd and 0.5% Y have great potential to be used as biomaterials.

KEYWORDS:

• RE-containing magnesium alloys
• microstructure
• mechanical properties
• degradation resistance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the Key Program of China on Biomedical Materials Research and Tissue and Organ Replacement (No. 2016YFC1101804, 2016YFC1100604) and Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (No.2015-ZD01).