Speaker
Description
Zn-based alloys have considerable potential as bioresorbable scaffolds for implants. Alloying with Mg or Ag enhances both biocompatibility and mechanical properties through precipitation strengthening and grain refinement during material production. Here we seek to advance the understanding of the precipitation mechanisms in Zn-Mg-(Ag) alloys prepared by a combination of mechanical alloying (MA), spark plasma sintering (SPS), and rapid hot extrusion for subsequent consolidation. Nanometric precipitates enriched in Mg, which have a high reactivity with oxygen, form during processing, as revealed by atom probe tomography (APT), a spatially-resolved three-dimensional mass spectroscopy technique. We provide a range of novel insights into the structure and composition of the intermetallic precipitates. The effects of microalloying additions to Zn-Mg alloys and the deformation processes on the microstructure formed and degradation behavior are often poorly characterized in the literature, leaving several knowledge gaps that our present study addresses in an effort to help guide improvements in Zn-based alloy design for bioresorbable materials.
