Control of the Corrosion of Magnesium for Implant Application by Hydrothermally Deposited Biodegradable Calcium Phosphate Coating

The corrosion protection of hydrothermally deposited calcium phosphate coatings on AZ31 magnesium alloy was studied in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution for their potential use as biodegradable implants. The coating mainly consisted of bioresorbable monetite phases. Potentiodynamic and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) confirmed that the coatings provided varying levels of corrosion protection depending on the coating deposition temperature. By increasing the deposition temperature and corresponding growth in coating thickness the corrosion current density of the coated magnesium was 10,000 fold lower compared to the bare metal; indicating significantly enhanced corrosion performance of Mg substrate, reaching the corrosion protection requirement for magnesium implant. The barrier effect of Ca-P layers was further supported by the observed magnitude of anodic and cathodic Tafel slopes. Coated samples displayed much larger slopes than bare Mg substrate.

EIS results showed that the size of capacitance loops and the absolute impedance value (|Z|) increases. By increasing the deposition time the corrosion mechanism was changed as a result of partial delamination of top surface of coating. In agreement with the electrochemical experiments, immersion tests in SBF also indicated large improvement in corrosion protection as the mass loss was reduced almost three times when coating was applied as compared to the bare metal.

The uncoated Mg substrate undergoes severe and non-uniform corrosion after 28 days immersion in SBF solution; while, the coated samples displayed intact coating and no obvious pits were observed on the coating surface.

The described biocompatible and biodegradable coatings significantly improved corrosion resistance of Mg substrate and can be promising candidate for biomedical application.